Warriors: SECRETS: Shadows
by MysticWolf16
Summary: Misfits. There seems to be a lot of them in the Clans. Like a bulky WindClanner, for instance. Or a ThunderClan cat that can't climb a tree. But has anyone ever considered that that's not important? That they might be meant for a bigger purpose? Because there's more to these misfits that meets the eye.
1. Allegiances and Prologue

**I have no idea how to start this XD but, um...thanks for noticing this and reading it. I hope you enjoy it and I'll happily accept any constructive criticism. Also, check out my profile page, I'm currently writing a Warriors/Hunger Games crossover. It's different from the rest, I promise you(no offense to all of the other amazing writers out there). It's there waiting for you...**

 **Those of you who followed my previous story(now deleted), don't worry, you didn't miss anything. All events in that are also going to occur in this, only a little differently and in a better way. I waited to publish this on purpose so that its anniversary could be an exact date, and so that it could mark the first year I started #inktober(check out my Instagram, Silvers_secrets, and my Deviantart, under the same name that I have on this site)**

 **Disclaimer: I'm only going to say this once-I don't own the Warriors series(the Erins can keep that, they write it well). The characters in this story are mine so far, but I _do_ need OCs. Please keep in mind, however, that if you send them to me you have also given me your full permission to do what I like with them. I only need names and descriptions. **

_**Shoutout to three of my favorite people ever: Snowfall16, KatieK101, and InkblotLeaf! They are all amazing writers and their stories are...mindblowing.**_

* * *

 **Allegiances**

 _ThunderClan_

Leader: Brackenstar- Golden tabby tom with white paws and chest; blue eyes

Deputy: Goosewing-gray and white tabby tom, sea green eyes

Medicine Cat(s): Reedheart-dark ginger tom; light green eyes

Birdflight-white tabby she-cat with white paws and tailtip; green eyes

Apprentice: Ravenpaw

 _Warriors_

Sandclaw-golden tabby tom with green-blue eyes

Apprentice: Dawnpaw

Sunstorm-pale golden tabby tom with pale green eyes

Smokestone-gray and back tabby tom, ice blue eyes

Featherdust-tortoiseshell she-cat with feathery tail and amber eyes

Apprentice: Sootpaw

Brighttail-tan she-cat with cream legs and ears; amber eyes

Prickleflame-pale brown tabby tom, green eyes

Apprentice: Bramblepaw

Leopardstrike-golden she-cat with black spots; blue eyes

Apprentice: Blossompaw

Canyonfall- tan tom with black paws and markings; deep blue eyes

Apprentice: Darkpaw

Berryfur-tan she-cat with black markings; amber eyes

Juniperclaw-dark brown tom with black markings; amber eyes

Snowfern-white she-cat with dark green eyes

Nightwind-gray and black tabby tom; emerald green eyes

Mistylake-light gray and black tabby she-cat; dark blue eyes

Icicleflight-white, gray and black tabby she-cat with black markings; ice blue eyes

Riftclaw-pale ginger tom with black markings; dark blue eyes

Apprentice: Bumblepaw

Mountaindrop- gray and black tabby tom with black markings; turquoise eyes

Blizzardpelt-black and white tabby she-cat; piercing blue eyes

Apprentice: Silverpaw

Flowerpelt-pale ginger tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentice: Rainpaw

Pouncetail-tan tom with black markings; amber eyes

Cinderfur-small gray she-cat with mottled smoky black markings; light blue eyes

Apprentice: Mousepaw

Larksong-pale brown and black tabby she-cat; amber eyes

Birchbranch-dark brown and black tabby tom; amber eyes

Apprentice: Hazelpaw

Frosttail-blue gray she-cat with light blue eyes

Apprentice: Heartpaw

Bluetail-pale silver she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentice: Honeypaw

 _Apprentices_

Smokepaw-sleek, light gray tom with dark blue eyes

Mousepaw-ginger she-cat with white stripe down face and green eyes

Heartpaw-dark ginger she-cat with white markings and green eyes

Hazelpaw-dark ginger she-cat with light ginger markings and amber eyes

Honeypaw-light ginger she-cat with white markings and dark amber eyes

Darkpaw-black tom with blue eyes

Ravenpaw-tan she-cat with black markings and dark blue eyes

Dawnpaw-golden she-cat with white markings and sky blue eyes

Blossompaw-tortoiseshell with amber eyes

Bramblepaw-dark brown and black tabby tom with sea green eyes

Bumblepaw-light and dark gray tabby tom with darker stripes on tail and amber eyes

Rainpaw-fluffy light gray and black tabby tom with black markings; dark green eyes

Silverpaw-smoky black she-cat with white markings and silver-violet blue eyes

Sootpaw-white tom with smoky black markings and silver-blue green eyes

 _Queens_

None

 _Elders_

Longpoppy-ginger and white spotted she-cat with amber eyes

Goldensky-golden she-cat with light brown markings; blue eyes

Pinetail-brown and black speckled she-cat with green eyes

Frogeye-white and brown tabby tom with one green eye

 _ShadowClan_

Leader: Meadowstar-black she-cat with orange rosettes; amber eyes

Deputy: Petalwhisker-tortoiseshell she-cat, gray eyes

Medicine Cat(s): Brindleleaf- white tabby she-cat with brown markings; green eyes

Maplespot- golden brown tabby she-cat, amber eyes

 _Warriors_

Wolfstep- thickfurred, dark gray tom with bright orange eyes

Apprentice: Cloudpaw

Sparrowclaw-creamy white she-cat with black markings; light amber eyes

Apprentice: Redpaw

Specklebelly-gray she-cat with small black spots; green eyes

Risingfern-gray eyed ginger she-cat

Stormclaw-dark gray and silver tabby tom with black stripe down back; dark amber eyes

Nettletooth-white she-cat with green eyes

Bluestone-light gray she-cat with silver markings; light blue eyes

Splashflower-brown and black tabby she-cat; light blue eyes

Finchwing-light brown tabby tom with pale yellow eyes

Apprentice: Thornpaw

Sunscorch-golden tom with light orange eyes

Apprentice: Orangepaw

Fernheart-solid grey she-cat with bright green eyes

Apprentice: Marshpaw

Apprentice: Lizardpaw

Foxfrost-ginger tom with white paws; ice blue eyes

Apprentice: Badgerpaw

Goldfire-golden tom with bright orange eyes

Apprentice: Weaselpaw

Nightstripe-dark gray she-catwith black stripe down back; dark blue eyes

Apprentice: Flamepaw

Embersplash- stocky black tom with light gray splotch on chest; dark blue eyes

Apprentice: Bearpaw

Jaggedstripe-brown and black tabby tom with zigzagged stripe down back; dark blue eyes

Apprentice: Amberpaw

Pinespots- Light brown tom with dark brown spots; pale green eyes

Apprentice: Snowpaw

Shadespots- gray tom with black spots; pale yellow eyes

Apprentice: Duskpaw

 _Apprentices_

Cloudpaw-mottled gray and white she-cat; vibrant green eyes

Badgerpaw- black and silver tabby tom; dark blue eyes

Thornpaw-light brown tabby tom with barely visible darker stripes; amber eyes

Lizardpaw-light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Redpaw- reddish brown she-cat with dark green eyes

Flamepaw-ginger tom with golden markings and blue eyes

Bearpaw- brown she-cat with white underbelly and sky blue eyes

Amberpaw-black and white she-cat with amber eyes

Snowpaw- white tom with black markings and dark brown eyes

Duskpaw-light gray tabby tom with green eyes

Weaselpaw-ginger and black tom with amber eyes

Orangepaw-black and orange tortoiseshell she-cat, green eyes

Marshpaw-white and brown tabby she-cat with light gray eyes

 _Queens_

Firepool-white she-cat with ginger markings; amber eyes; mother of Pinespot's kits

(Kits: Stumpykit, Mosskit, Mudkit)

Leafheart-ginger she-cat with white markings; green eyes; mother of Goldfire's kits

(Kits: Furzekit, Swallowkit, Elmkit, Applekit)

 _Elders_

Silverfire-white and silver tabby tom with amber eyes

Ripplefoot-gray tom with silver markings and blue eyes

Reedfeather-gray blue she-cat with white paws and blue eyes

 _WindClan_

Leader: Aspenstar-white she-cat, light brown eyes

Deputy: Thornshadow-brown, black and white tom; pale orange eyes

Medicine cat(s): Ebonyeye-dark gray tom with eyes so dark they seem black

 _Warriors_

Patchwind-tan she-cat with white patches; light blue eyes

Apprentice: Thrushpaw

Pebblewing; gray and silver tabby she-cat; amber eyes

Fleetdawn-gold and white she-cat; bright amber eyes

Olivebelly-black she-cat with light brown underbelly and muzzle; dull green eyes

Cedarclaw-brown tabby tom with white markings; amber eyes

Apprentice: Runningpaw

Robinsong-reddish brown she-cat; gray eyes

Jayblaze-gray blue tabby tom with golden eyes

Kestrelbone-brown and white tom with blue eyes

Apprentice: Coalpaw

Lilyclaw-gray and silver tabby she-cat; green eyes

Littledusk-small ginger and brown tom with amber eyes

Willowfeather-silver she-cat; light green eyes

Plaindust-tan she-cat with amber eyes

Nectarash-golden tom; gray eyes

Kernelwhisker-pale yellow tom with amber eyes

Puddleface-gray and white tabby she-cat; sky blue eyes

Apprentice: Hazepaw

Gorgefall-gray tom with black and white splotches; pale green eyes

Apprentice: Swiftpaw

Blackblizzard-black and white tabby tom; ice blue eyes

Apprentice: Icepaw

 _Apprentices_

Swiftpaw-ginger, white and black she-cat with grayish-amber eyes

Icepaw-blue gray tom; blue eyes

Cloverpaw-light brown she-cat; light green eyes

Hazepaw-dark gray and silver tabby tom; dark blue eyes

Thrushpaw-white and ginger tom; hazel eyes

Runningpaw-black and white tabby tom; dark green eyes

Coalpaw-black she-cat; blue eyes

 _Queens_

Firbreeze-light brown and golden she-cat, blue eyes

Kits: Clearkit, Harekit

Hawksky-reddish brown she-cat; light blue eyes

Kits: Mothkit, Daisykit, Rabbitkit

 _Elders_

Goldenear-white tom with golden markings; dull amber eyes

Feathershell-brown tabby tom with brown eyes

Shadowmoon-black and silver she-cat; gray eyes

 _RiverClan_

Leader: Cherrystar-reddish black she-cat; amber eyes

Deputy: Fallingfeather-black and ginger she-cat; amber eyes

Medicine Cat(s): Ripplefeather-calico she-cat; bright green eyes

Softdust-tawny she-cat with white paws and amber eyes

 _Warriors_

Sparrowblaze-light brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Fishclaw-ginger tom with gray eyes

Lightstreak-golden she-cat with blue eyes

Slightstorm-blue gray and silver tabby she-cat with gray eyes

Apprentice: Shadepaw

Goldsky-golden she-cat with light blue eyes

Apprentice: Wildpaw

Bluefire-light gray tom with amber eyes

Spikemoon-brown tom with light gray eyes

Beaverstrike-brown and white tom with blue eyes

Apprentice: Risepaw

Streambreeze-dark gray she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentice: Tawnypaw

Scorchowl-small white tom with yellow orange eyes

Firerock-ginger tom with dark gray eyes

Apprentice: Tendrilpaw

Berryslash-red tom with amber eyes

Apprentice: Stonepaw

 _Apprentices_

Tawnypaw-tan spotted she-cat; pretty blue eyes

Tendrilpaw-golden and brown tabby tom; green eyes

Risepaw-light brown tom; light blue eyes

Stonepaw-dark gray tom with light gray eyes

Wildpaw-light gray she cat with dark gray tabby patches; sky blue eyes

Shadepaw-dark gray tom with green eyes

 _Queens_

Foxwhisker- ginger she-cat with amber eyes

(Kits: Beechkit, Otterkit, Flintkit)

Gullsand-white she-cat with amber eyes

(Kits: Troutkit, Ashkit)

 _Elders_

Petalblossom-white and gray she-cat with pale blue eyes

Bluewater-fat blue gray she-cat with very short legs and amber eyes

• •

 ** _Prologue_**

I was growing impatient.

Horribly, terribly impatient.

I'd been waiting for hours on end, but with nothing. And I needed something, anything, that told me it was time.

But there had been nothing.

 _The prophecy had said today,_ I thought. But it was nearing sunset and nothing had happened.

I needed a cat. Then I would be ready.

I needed someone to die.

"Brackenstar. Brackenstar would be great, He'd be perfect," I muttered.

But he was far out of my reach.

"My liege," I heard from behind me, "may I have a word?"

I turned my head slightly as an indicator to go on, knowing that Vixen was speaking.

Poor, lost Vixen, desperate to prove herself, but failing time and time again. If it weren't for her effort I would have thrown her out moons ago.

"ShadowClan has had a death."

I rise to my paws slowly and turn to face her.

"How and when did this happen?" I say calmly.

But my insides were raging. My claws were itching. I needed to know more.

"Just a few hours ago. And how…well, I did it myself-but, um, not exactly."

I sat back on my haunches, still facing her. "And how did you do this?"

"I may have angered some foxes."

I rolled my eyes. "Vixen. Just explain to me how there was a death. I don't want to deal with your stalling tactics."

The she-cat, a bit smaller in size, was clever for her age, hence her name. But that was her only good quality. Her hunting and fighting skills were absolutely horrendous.

She averted her eyes from mine; I knew that I could be quite intimidating. I used that to my advantage.

"Well, my liege, the foxes were hungry. Starving, even. It was evident that they hadn't eaten in days. A badger also lived nearby. I was patrolling the area when I noticed the foxes had left their kill out in the open. A rather foolish choice, if I might add. So I simply took their prey and hid it in the badger set, since that wasn't around."

"What does any of this have to do with your so called death? Because I'm not hearing anything important, only your mischief. And if _I_ might add, that is of little to no importance to me," I snapped.

"I was getting to that, my liege. The foxes followed the prey's scent trail to the set, and found the badger eating their kill. Enraged, they chased it into Clan territory where two cats were patrolling. The two ran and attempted to alert two others, but the foxes had spotted them and were hot on their tails. The badger noticed one trying to hide behind a tree, and snapped it's back, taking it by surprise. It then brought it to the foxes as some sort of peace offering. The foxes then proceeded to eat the cat on the spot."

They _ate_ a cat? They must have been desperate. And it was newleaf, so I couldn't fathom why.

Of course, I didn't let my surprise show. Especially not in front of my inferior.

"Is that all you-"

"No, no, my liege, there's more! That wasn't even the beginning."

I bared my teeth and Vixen shrunk back. "Interrupt me again and you'll have a long scar to show off. And I'll make sure that the legion knows it wasn't from battle."

"O-of course, my liege. Would you like me to continue?"

I narrowed my eyes in response and decided not to remark on the fact that she was trembling.

"One of the cats was blinded by his grief and stumbled forward. The heavier of the foxes was about to get him to when the red she-cat, the mountain cat, shoved him out of the way. Unfortunately, she wasn't killed, but one of her back paws was clearly broken in the process, crushed by the foxes' jaws. She was rendered completely helpless and the fox was about to finish her off, but the tom she rescued came to his senses and attacked. The other fox was creeping up on the red she cat since the last cat was frozen in his own fear-the coward. Before it could get to her, however, reinforcements arrived and the horrid creatures were driven off. But the thing about that is…well…" a smirk tugged at the edges of her lips.

"Meadowstar, who was on her last life, was among the reinforcements. And the foxes' bellies were more than full."

A wicked grin spread itself across my features.

Meadowstar was dead.

One of the two cats who had caused my legion so much trouble was dead.

"Vixen," I say, the smile still there, "you've put me in a good mood. I have a task for you."

She immediately went back to her submissive demeanor and looked to me.

"You've done well, Vixen. Usually I don't interfere with those cat's petty spiritual rituals. Today, however, is special. Set out to assault the deputy on her way to the Moonpool tonight. Leave the medicine cat and make her swear to keep her mouth shut. If you complete the task successfully then you will receive your rank in the Legion."

Vixen sprang to her paws at this and made an X motion over her paw in acknowledgement. "Yes, my liege. Thank you, my liege. I won't fail you."

I repeated the gesture and sent her off.

I allowed a purr to rumble in my chest as soon as she was gone.

There would be another death tonight.

My Legion would be ready, and would return to their rightful place in the forest.

• •

 **WARRIORS: SECRETS: Shadows**


	2. The First Gathering

**I think I'm going to keep these Author's Notes short, just to save my time as well as yours, since I know that not many people like reading these. I'll reply to guest reviews at the end of chapters, and maybe ask a question or two. Account reviews will be answered via PM along with a preview of the next chapter(no, I absolutely did not steal that idea from Leafy, what are you talking about?).**

 **Anyway, here's the first chapter! If you have any questions they'll most likely be answered either later in the story, in the bottom author's note, or, if its a really good one, via PM. I don't mind meeting new people so feel free to talk with me. Just don't ask me to write things for you. I'm already doing that for another person, plus I have other things to do.**

 **Okay. Enough of my rambling. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Hazepaw_

"C'mon, Hazepaw, you missed _again?_ "

I sighed, lashing my tail. That was the fifth rabbit I'd missed. _Fifth._

Icepaw usually caught two or three per day, and we were only nearing the end of our second quarter moon of apprenticeship. I should have gotten _something_ out of that entire time period.

Coalpaw came up to me and brushed her pelt against mine. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll get something soon."

I stared at my sister skeptically. "Yeah, sure. Whatever." Under my breath I added, "When those stupid rabbits fly."

"Let's get back to Kestrelbone, Puddleface and Blackblizzard. You can take one of my rabbits, Hazepaw," Icepaw mewed.

I muttered a thanks and grabbed the kill between my teeth. That's what I and my siblings had been doing. They'd give me whatever prey they caught and deceive my mentor, not to mention all of WindClan. All because I couldn't make a single catch.

As we trudged over the moor, my frustration began to build up inside of me until I could feel my ears burning. My vision became blurry and I blinked away hot, angry tears.

I was positive Runningpaw and Cloverpaw would tease me once we got back to camp. They'd never pass up the opportunity. Cloverpaw wasn't that bad and could be fun to tease back at times, but Runningpaw...

How was I supposed to be a good warrior if I couldn't even catch my own meals?

In the distance I saw Puddleface racing towards us. She halted just a few fox-lengths away.

"Nice kill, Hazepaw, "she said, "You too, Icepaw and Coalpaw. Blackblizzard and Kestrelbone will be pleased. You're doing well."

I made eye contact with the ground.

Puddleface kept talking as she trotted back to her fellow mentors. "You're really turning out to be a great hunter, Hazepaw," She mewed, "I can't wait to see how you do on your first assessment."

I stifled a snort.

Puddleface was a good mentor; amazing, even. She was kind-hearted, and extremely friendly(maybe even a little _too_ friendly). I hated lying to her.

And the worst part?

She was my mother.

I could see Blackblizzard's outline in the distance, but not Kestrelbone's.

Before I could ask where he was though, Blackblizzard turned away and ran in the direction of camp.

Blackblizzard could be that way sometimes, doing things and not telling you why. It could be irritating, but I went with it.

My brother took this as an invitation and dashed after him. I followed at a slower pace.

Once we reached camp I deposited Icepaw's rabbit on the fresh-kill pile and bounded back to Blackblizzard.

The black and white tabby had a grim look masked across his features.

"Um, Blackblizzard? Where's Kestrelbone?" I asked.

He nodded to the medicine cat's den. "See for yourself."

My eyes widened and I did an about face, running to the rock that held Ebonyeye's den.

Slipping through the crack in the stone, I saw Coalpaw hunched over Kestrelbone's sleeping form.

"Coalpaw? What's going on?"

She turned her head to me and faked a smile. "Kestrelbone ate a bad rabbit."

I padded over to him and parted my jaws. Icepaw had eaten carrion before, and had a tangy scent. Kestrelbone didn't smell any different than the way he usually did.

I furrowed my brow. "Are you sure? He doesn't smell the way Icepaw did."

Coalpaw shrugged. "That's what Ebonyeye said."

"Oh. Okay. He's going to be fine, right?"

"Yes. Ebonyeye said that too."

I didn't make a comment. Ebonyeye was old, very old, and I often didn't trust his judgment. But my sister trusted him and I wanted to keep it that way.

"That's, uh…good. I'm going to see who's going to the gathering."

She nodded, and I walked out of the den, relishing the cool leaf-fall air.

And I wished I had stayed where I was.

"Hey Hazepaw, did you eat yet?"

 _Cloverpaw._

"I don't know, you tell me," I mutter, showing past her. I wasn't even hungry, so it didn't matter.

I heard her soft pawsteps behind me. "Well, _I_ did. And the rabbit had your scent on it. It must have been hard to catch it… if you caught it at all," she said, her voice growing louder.

"You know as well as I do that I didn't catch that rabbit, Cloverpaw," I mewed quietly. I had learned the hard way that the best way to deal with her was with a calm demeanor. Her brother, of course, was a different case altogether.

She huffed, growing bored. "Okay, fine. How bad are you anyway?"

My ears perked at the smirk in her tone. "Let's just say I'm as bad as a ThunderClan cat trying to fish."

I sat in front of the Tall Boulder, knowing that Aspenstar would be coming out of her den any minute. The sun was just beginning to set.

And, sure enough, my leader sprang atop the Boulder just a few heartbeats later.

" _May all cats who are old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath me!"_

A wave of guilt shuddered through me at Aspenstar's call. I wasn't even worthy to be at this clan meeting.

As the rest of WindClan padded listlessly to the Boulder, Aspenstar's tail began to twitch with impatience.

I could understand why. Nothing interesting was happening today, and my leader was only a few moons younger than my own mother. Her patience was not as much as that of the elders.

"The cats going to the gathering are Patchwind, Thrushpaw, Cedarclaw, Runningpaw, Robinsong, Jayblaze, Coalpaw, Lilyclaw, Willowfeather, Hazepaw, Puddleface, Gorgefall, Swiftpaw, Blackblizzard, and Icepaw. We're leaving now."

I glanced up; the sun was gone and only its faint light remained. By the time the Clan reached the island the moon would almost be at its peak.

The walk was long and far from fascinating. The only good thing to look at was the stars.

And the trees…

The Oaks and the pines loomed in the distance. It was once thought that the dark evergreens that marked the territory of ShadowClan were a warning to steer clear, but the Clans had learned to see the pines as the natural beauty of the forest and not a bad omen.

The cats themselves were strong and bold, and were so stealthy they seemed to disappear into the shadows while stalking their prey, hence the Clan's name.

And the moon bathed ThunderClan's home in a silver glow. I curled my lip. ThunderClan had always been the most favored by StarClan, and they knew it too. Just by observing their haughty stares and the pride in their steps, any cat could tell what type of cats they were.

And then there was RiverClan. I disliked them, but not because of their pride. They were horribly vain, always pausing to admire their sleek, soft fur in any source of water.

But all of this I had only heard from my older clanmates' gossip. It was easier to listen in in conversations when someone thought you were inferior.

"Mother?" I ask, catching up to Puddleface.

"Yes, Hazepaw?"

"What are the gatherings like, if all of the clans are what the elders say they're like? Wouldn't there be too much bickering?"

She glances down at me with a mischievous smile. "Just you wait and see."

She quickens her pace and leaves me there lost in thought.

Eventually we reached the tree bridge, where Puddleface taught my siblings and I the way to cross so that we didn't damage the old, rotten, fragile bark. One missed pawstep and we'd all drown.

WindClan were the first to arrive.

The great oak was as I expected it to be-massive, with broken branches here and there but for the most part, sturdy. Just the type of tree a Thunderclanner would learn to climb.

Yet Aspenstar scaled the tree with such agility that it was hard to believe she was not of ThunderClan blood herself. I was amazed. If all of WindClan could climb that well ThunderClan would be in for quite a surprise in the case of an ambush.

The unpleasant scent of fish flooded my senses and I knew immediately that it had to be RiverClan.

The shininess of their pelts was slightly disturbing. Only a self-obsessed Clan would find time in the day to groom themselves to perfection.

But one cat caught my eye.

Seeing as Swiftpaw was seated besides me, I couldn't have been blamed.

Could it not have been more obvious that Fallingfeather was Swiftpaw's mother?

They had the same dark ginger pelts, same black and white splotches. The only difference between the two was that the RiverClan deputy's eyes were a bright, clear shade of amber, and Swiftpaw's were a more cooler, greyer shade.

I shook my head. No, it couldn't be possible. And I had to focus on other things.

ThunderClan arrives next, Brackenstar padding in with his chest puffed out. I nudge Icepaw and he snorts. Their leader looks ridiculous that way. At least I knew the pride part was true. But when the leader finally settled, he glanced about to see if anyone noticed, and licked his chest fur awkwardly, as if his pride was unintentional.

And once he had gotten past his awkward stance, he sat back calmly. I hated to admit it but Brackenstar was the perfect representation of what a leader should look like. His golden tabby fur was of medium length and well groomed. He had a cool sort of confidence about him, but I could tell he wasn't the type of cat to let pride get to his head. His clear blue eyes scanned the clearing, running over every cat that had arrived so far. But in them they held a look of confusion and I knew why-

Where was ShadowClan?

The other leaders had begun to notice it too. They shared glances and Aspenstar's tail began to twitch in worry.

However, after a few moments Brackenstar rose, clearing his throat.

"I guess I will start the gathering," He mewed loudly, shushing the majority of the Clans.

"But where is ShadowClan?"

"Yes, we cannot start the gathering without them!"

More cries of questioning arose, and I resisted the urge to throw in questions of my own.

Brackenstar started to become visibly irritated. " _Silence_!" He snapped, and the Clans hushed immediately. "I do not know where Meadowstar and the rest of ShadowClan are, but the moon will not wait for them and neither can we."

Cherrystar nodded to him, he nodded back, and continued. "ThunderClan is doing well, as we should be. We have a large addition of apprentices to the Clans, starting with the kits of Brighttail; Heartpaw, Hazelpaw, Honeypaw, Blossompaw, and Dawnpaw..."

The clans cheered the names but it was clear that their minds were on ShadowClan's absence.

"Along with Silverpaw, Sootpaw, Bumblepaw, Bramblepaw, Rainpaw, Darkpaw, Ravenpaw, Smokepaw, and Mousepaw."

My eyes widened. That was at least twice as many apprentices than in WindClan. But then again, ThunderClan had no queens. At least that's what I had heard from Puddleface.

Brackenstar stepped back, a smug look on his face.

Nevermind what I had thought. Brackenstar was clearly as bad as the rest of them.

Rolling her eyes, Aspenstar sprang forward. "WindClan has also had an addition of apprentices, and kits that will be in less than a moon. They have been doing impossibly well in their first half moon of training. Let me hear it for Hazepaw, Icepaw, Coalpaw, Swiftpaw, Cloverpaw, Runningpaw and Thrushpaw!"

I smirked as WindClan raised their cheer higher than ThunderClan's. Cherrystar and Aspenstar shared a knowing look and I suspected that this was how all gatherings were-a constant competition between Clans. The moon was still in full sight, so I assumed StarClan didn't mind.

ThunderClan began their cheer again, and I shared a smile with Swiftpaw. If every gathering was as fun as this one, then ShadowClan's presence would have made this even better.

Cherrystar raised her voice so that she could be heard above the cheering. "Tawnypaw, Tendrilpaw, Risepaw, Stonepaw, Shadepaw, and Wildpaw are RiverClan's apprentices! I want to hear you yowl the loudest!"

The cheers were colliding with each other and it was amazing.

 _"Stop!"_

All heads swiveled to the tree bridge.

A black she-cat with orange rosary spots, rippling muscles and an aura of authority was standing atop the tree bridge, the rest of ShadowClan behind her.

She strolled over to the oak, leaped and climbed until she was at a branch with an equal height to Brackenstar's.

"I apologize for my tardiness," she mews smoothly, the words rolling off of her tongue in a drawl, "But I couldn't help but overhear that you have new apprentices. All of you. Redpaw, Lizardpaw, Thornpaw, Badgerpaw, Cloudpaw, Weaselpaw, Orangepaw, Flamepaw, Bearpaw, Amberpaw, Snowpaw, Duskpaw and Marshpaw would like to be cheered for as well...wouldn't they, ShadowClan?"

And so the cheering competition began again.

Eventually the voices became weary, the moon began to lower, and the leaders let us intermingle.

"Hey Icepaw, Coalpaw, Swiftpaw," I hissed, "Let's go check out the ThunderClan apprentices."

Swiftpaw nodded in agreement, Icepaw was already on his way there. Coalpaw refused, saying she didn't want to listen to them run their mouths all night.

I weaved my way through the throng of cats, making my way over to the enormous clump of Thunderclanners.

"Hey Smokepaw, look who finally decided to introduce themselves to us," I heard a she-cat snicker.

The voice came from a smoky black cat with white paws and violet eyes. Next to the light gray cat she said was Smokepaw, she seemed to reek with arrogance.

"So they did Silvy my cuz," He said back. So her name was Silverpaw. I was guessing it was because of the way her eyes seemed to reflect the stars in the sky.

"Typical of a ThunderClan cat to give their kit such a name," I said cooly.

Silverpaw rolled her eyes. "If you think that my name is another way to exalt ThunderClan, meet Heartpaw. Brighttail thought it'd be unique to move a suffix for a warrior name to a prefix, but I think it sounds plain stupid."

Smokepaw put his tail over a ginger she-cat's mouth. "Not a word, Heartpaw. Deal with yourselves later." He shot me a smirk. "She-cats."

I hated it. I hated to admit it. But I liked this guy already. "She-cats," I agreed.

He smiled, his gaze turning to Heartpaw. "I could find Heartpaw anywhere, anytime. She's like Dawnpaw and Silverpaw. She won't shut up."

Heartpaw shot him a glare, biting down on his tail; He hissed and yanked it away. I stifled a laugh, flicking my tail towards Icepaw. "Icepaw, my brother. And this is Swiftpaw. She could beat any one of us in any race."

Smokepaw nodded, his eyes flitting to Fallingfeather. I flicked my ear in response. I was glad I wasn't the only one who noticed.

"This is Silvy's brother Sootpaw," he mewed, jerking his head to the white and black tom next to Silverpaw.

"Hi," he muttered.

I raised an eyebrow. "Not very friendly or just really shy?"

"Neither. I just don't like you. You're like Smokepaw."

I flinched. "Okay...I'm going to go with not very friendly."

Smokepaw rolled his eyes. "Don't worry about it, Hazepaw. Sootpaw may _act_ touchy, but he's a huge jokester and a flirt. He's just jealous that I'm a better one."

Sootpaw sprang to his paws. "You are _not._ Stop showing off in front of Heartpaw."

The gray furred tom seemed to be bothered a bit by that. "W-what? I'm not showing off! Heartpaw just loves listening to me talk."

"Why don't you shut up for once, Smokepaw?" said she-cat snapped, but it was clear that she, too, was flustered.

Sootpaw looked on as the two bickered, a smirk set on his features.

"Nice, bro," Silverpaw whispered.

"I'm guessing this happens a lot?" I asked.

"More than often," Sootpaw mewed, "I'm betting they screeched at each other from inside Brighttail and Icicleflight's bellies."

Just then, the leader's yowls rang out, signaling that it was time for us to leave.

"Well," Smokepaw muttered, his eartips visibly red, "that's our cue. Until next time, guys."

He waited for all of his friends to go before whispering, "We need to talk about Swiftpaw. Clearly, something isn't right. Next time you see me, make sure I see you."

And he bounded away.

I padded over to WindClan and brushed against my mother. "Now I know why you didn't tell me anything," I grinned.

She touched the top of my head with her nose. "Aren't you glad? The leaders never used to do things like that. It was brief, clipped reports, and we barely had enough time to catch up on other things. It was boring. But one day they created a new tradition and haven't stopped doing it since. Wait until the daylight gatherings. You'll love those."

I pulled away and stared at her as we walked. "There are daylight gatherings?"

She nodded. "Yes. Remember when I told you about the generation of cats that fought a battle with the non-living? One of those cats was named Squirrelflight, and moons before the Great Battle, she came up with the daylight gathering to celebrate their second new-leaf at their new territory. Her generation only did it once, but many seasons later a leader from an entirely different generation remembered the gathering from the legends and decided to make it something we do more often."

"Well, it was a good idea," I purred, "I can't wait."

Puddleface looked up thoughtfully. "I think the next one is in a half moon. We usually have two or three per season."

"If its in a half moon, then medicine cats will be tired for their journey," I muttered, but said nothing more of it.

The moor came into sight and I strayed away from the Clan.

Two things had been on my mind that night-Swiftpaw and Fallingfeather, but also how tired I was of lying.

I was going to catch my own rabbit. And I was going to do it tonight.

When we reached camp I told Puddleface I was going to make dirt, and headed to the rabbit trail with the least likely amount of rabbits to be there.

I wasn't a bad hunter. I had almost caught plenty of rabbits plenty of times.

It was all of the extra bulk I had. It slowed me down.

I had laughed to myself often; a bulky Windclanner? Who would've thought?

But I was done laughing. I didn't want to be a misfit anymore.

I perked my ears at the scent of hare and crouched down, thanking StarClan in advance for helping me catch this rabbit, and for my darker colored fur.

Slinking forward, I trailed the rabbit for a few foxlengths and waited until I was about two away. Any closer and It would notice me for sure.

Then the wind changed, and it bolted.

I spat a curse and dashed after it, my anger rising.

I was done, I was so tired of lying to my Clan. I had to catch this. I had to.

Suddenly, I felt hot breath in my ear.

 _A StarClan warrior?_

 _"One of stars,"_ The breath murmured, and I felt myself slowing down.

 _No, no!_

I could see a dip in the ground where my prey was headed, and I was mad. I wasn't going to catch it.

But just when I was about to give up, my anger at its peak, there was a bright flash of light and the rabbit lay dead at my paws.

 _The rabbit lay dead at my paws._

I didn't touch the rabbit. I never touched it at all, and yet it was here, dead, in perfect condition, ready to be eaten.

What in the name of StarClan just happened?

"Hazepaw? What are you doing out here? What just happened?"

I turned around slowly to see Swiftpaw.

"I, um...I scented rabbit and I decided to practice a little extra hunting."

She shook her head, muttering something to herself. "You're a terrible liar. Worse than Icepaw."

I relaxed a little. "Okay then, what am I doing out here? How do you explain this rabbit?"

"Yeah, how _do_ I explain that rabbit? One second you were chasing after it, clearly about to lose it, then there's a flash of light and its dead."

I looked her square in the eye. "Thank you for summarizing the most confusing event that's happened in my life."

"Well what else was I supposed to do? Say you leaped majestically and killed your prey in one clean bite? Because that is most certainly not what happened."

I pawed at the ground, growing uncomfortable. "I have no idea what that was, okay Swiftpaw? I'll figure it out later. Just promise me you won't tell anyone about this."

She looked away. "I'm good at keeping secrets."

I wonder what secret _that_ could possibly be.

"Thank you."

"Let's just get back to camp," she sighs, "and hide that rabbit. We don't know what that light was, so we don't know if its safe to eat."

I reluctantly bury the rabbit in a patch of heather. My first, somewhat real catch and I wasn't even able to share it with the rest of WindClan.

But that was okay. I would come back tomorrow and get it if it wasn't gone by then.

Or I would catch another one. I could do it on my own now. I was sure of it.

I was finally worthy enough to go to a Clan meeting.

* * *

 **So, what did you think? Let me know in a review! I'll gladly accept any constructive criticism, but not flames. If you have anything bad to say keep it to yourself.**

 **Also, in terms of updates, I will _try_ to update once a week. If not that then every two weeks. I would like it if I didn't get reviews that say "please update soon" or "when are you going to update" because, in my opinion, it wastes my time. Reviews were not meant for that. **

**I'm also looking for a beta reader, if anyone would like to accept the position.**

 **On my Deviantart is the cover of the book in full detail, if you'd like to see it. I'm also thinking of drawing a scene for every chapter.**

* * *

 _ **Guest Review Replies:**_

 **WolfOfDiamonds: Glad you think so, thank you ^^**

* * *

 **QOTD:** **What do you think of the ThunderClan apprentices? Are they as prideful as Hazepaw made them out to be, or are they not all that bad? Any theories?**

 **Peace out kitties(and don't forget to leave a review),**

 **~SK**


	3. The Walking Fireball

**Hi! Welcome back^^ I don't know whether to call this late or not, but its here, so...**

 **Also, to those living in the US: Happy Veterans day!**

 **I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 _Silverpaw_

A quarter moon had passed since the gathering.

I kept a close eye on my cousin; I didn't miss the little exchange Smokepaw had with Hazepaw.

So far neither had encountered the other, but then again, I couldn't know for sure. I wasn't able to follow Smokepaw _everywhere_ he went, otherwise he would know that _I_ knew something was up.

"Silverpaw," Sootpaw hissed, "Silverpaw, Get up! You _need_ to see this."

I rolled over and groggily got to my paws, leaving behind the sunny spot I was dozing in. "What's so important that you need to bother me, Sootpaw? The one time I try to sleep and you bug me."

He huffed. "It's Smokepaw."

I was immediately attentive. "What about him?"

My brother grinned sheepishly. "Well, uh, not just him. It's Heartpaw, too. We're going to go battle training."

I let out a long, low groan. "Not _battle training,"_ I whine.

I was paired with Bumblepaw. And as far as the "worst partner ever" goes, he was the worst.

He smirked. "I know its your favorite thing."

"So why did you tell me that Smokepaw was, uh... what was he doing anyways?"

Sootpaw laughed. "Nothing. I just needed to get you up." He dropped his voice to a whisper. "Anything yet?"

He knew about it, too. I guessed that one of our parents were observant, otherwise where would we get it from?

I shook my head. "Nothing. He always watches the WindClan border whenever we're on patrol, though."

"I noticed that too," Sootpaw mewed, nodding, "Anyways, we should get going. They're waiting."

I flattened my ears and slowly trotted after him.

Waiting at the tunnel was Smokepaw-of course. He never misses a chance to show off his ridiculously amazing battle skills. Then there was Heartpaw and Honeypaw, Dawnpaw, Bumblepaw, Bramblepaw, and our mentors.

I tried to steer clear of Bumblepaw as we walked to the Mossy Hollow, but he liked to bother me. I snapped at him when he kept stepping on my paws and quickened my pace, but then he continued to trod on my tail.

Eventually I decided to take the tree route, springing from branch to branch.

"Showoff," Dawnpaw scoffed from below and I snorted. She was one to talk.

Descending an oak tree and landing softly on the moss, I reluctantly padded over to my spot next to Bumblepaw.

Prickleflame and Bluetail, Bramblepaw and Honeypaw's mentors, told us to practice simple sparring. I attempted to stifle a groan and failed; we had been doing this since the gathering.

Prickleflame shot me a sharp glare even though his dark green eyes shone with agreement. He and Bluetail had been the ones watching us for each training session. He had been made a warrior maybe one or two moons before we were apprenticed, so he was about as patient as Aspenstar.

"Don't be rude, Silverpaw. Today's the last day anyways. Then we'll move on to some more advanced moves. Now start!" He said loudly.

I hissed as my paws were swept out from underneath me, and I was looking into the bright amber eyes of Bumblepaw.

"I wasn't even ready," I spat, "You can't _do_ that!"

He smirked. "Well I just did, so I guess I can."

I growled and bit his forepaw. Bumblepaw cursed and limped out of my way as I stood up.

"Sorry," I purred, not meaning it whatsoever.

He glares at me.

I immediately stood on my hind paws and slammed my forepaws down on his head, stunning him, and sunk my teeth into his scruff. When he didn't move I relaxed, and then realized my mistake too late. His claws scraped the insides of my haunches, catching me off guard for the second time.

He sprang up and bowled me over, and we struggled for control. I clawed at him fiercely until I felt a deep throbbing in my shoulder.

Bumblepaw scrambled backwards, pausing the fight. "Oh, Silverpaw, I'm really sorry. I-I didn't mean to..."

Blood was slowly trickling out and down from four claw marks on my shoulder. "Gee, thanks. I really wanted another one of these to add to my collection. You've made my day."

Bumblepaw narrowed his eyes in response.

Bluetail bounded over to us. "Ouch. You might want to get that checked out, Silverpaw. Take Bumblepaw with you. He might as well get some treatment on his paw."

I silently cursed Bluetail on the way back to camp.

I made a mad dash for the thorn tunnel and crashed straight into Rainpaw, who had a squirrel in his jaws.

A look of confusion crossed his face. "Silverpaw? What are you doing out here? Wait-what's wrong?"

No, I didn't need this right now. Not after what just happened. I got back on my paws and kept running, heading to the very heart of the territory.

"Silverpaw!" I heard him call.

I scaled a tree and waited for Rainpaw to pass under me before going in the opposite direction.

What just happened?

I glanced at my shoulder after stopping in a small clearing.

No, I had to be seeing things. The wound couldn't possibly have healed so quickly.

Yet after examining it some more, there wasn't the slightest bit of evidence that I had been hurt.

 _One of pain._

The voice had sounded so familiar…

I sat in a pile of dead leaves, embracing the chilled air. The cold helped keep my mind off of…that.

But suddenly the air changed. It seemed warmer, thinner. I looked up to see what seemed like black mist.

 _What is that doing here?_

The sun should have cut through it and made it dissipate, but it rushed forward as if it was...magical.

Magical black mist.

I inched forward to get a better look, but once it touched me I regretted it. A hot, searing pain tore its way throughout my body and I couldn't move. I tried to open my mouth to call for help but no sound came.

 _One of pain._

There it was again. The black mist seemed to be taunting me, its hissing, rushing sounds creating what sounded like the whisper that I had heard.

 _One of pain._

The mist continued to burn me, sinking into my pelt, until I blacked out without even closing my eyes.

* * *

 _It was night, and the moon was half full. I found myself at the border between WindClan and RiverClan._

 _"Stonefoot? Stonefoot, what's wrong?"_

Fallingfeather?

 _There was a light grey tom with grey eyes in front of her. And I was behind the both of them._

 _The grey tom-Stonefoot, Fallingfeather had said-was lean and wiry. He looked skinny, skinnier than he should have, and his eyes were dull and hollow. They looked red and puffy and his entire being was just...sickly._

 _He let out a horrible cough that shook his whole body and Fallingfeather jumped back a couple of fox-lengths. "Oh...oh no," She whispered, "Not you too..."_

 _Stonefoot stared back at her miserably._

 _Fallingfeather began pacing. "How could StarClan let this happen," She wailed, "Is this their punishment? I get to suffer and watch my mate die, watch my only kit grow up without a father? How am I going to even explain her existence in the first place?"_

 _A look of utter pain crossed Stonefoot's face and he looked like he wanted to comfort her, yet he wouldn't go any closer._

 _My eyes widened in horror and I stumbled backwards._

 _This was the fatal Blackcough. The sickness that ensued certain death on anyone who caught it. The sickness that had no cure._

 _Brighttail had told Sootpaw and I as kits that it had spread through the Clans like wildfire when she had just become a queen. It lasted for almost two or three entire seasons, and Sootpaw and I had been born in the very middle of it. There had been too many cats that died._

 _"W-well, there is something we can do," Stonefoot rasped, his voice dry and hoarse._

 _Fallingfeather looked up._

" _Give her to me. We both know kits are immune. I can say that I found her just outside of the quarantine."_

 _Fallingfeather lowered her head again. "Alright…,"she whispered, "Fine."_

 _Just like that? A mother would give up her kit, just like that?_

Well why not, _a small voice in my head murmured,_ your mother didn't fight for you…

 _I bit my tongue, pushing the memory to the back of my mind._

 _Stonefoot gave Fallingfeather a serious look. "You can't acknowledge her, Fallingfeather. Not ever. She's old enough to be able to remember, and-"_

 _He cut himself off with a coughing fit. I could see droplets of blood and foam dribbling from in between his lips._

" _And you'll need to tell her that she needs to pretend she doesn't know you personally as her mother."_

" _I understand, okay? I'll bring her to you in two sunrises. I'd say a quarter moon, but I don't know if you'll be alive by then."_

 _Stonefoot flinched._

That was harsh, _I th_ ought.

 _Fallingfeather turned around and walked away, her silent tears streaming down her cheeks and onto the ground._

 _I was swept into the mist again, but I was relieved as it wasn't painful._

 _I opened my eyes to see the pair again, along with a kit. I couldn't see her completely because she was hiding behind Fallingfeather, but judging from what I was able to see she was around four moons old._

" _Mother, are you sure about this? Are you sure I won't get sick?" She whispered._

 _Fallingfeather also looked uncertain, but she told the kit that it would be fine._

 _Stonefoot sat at the border, looking even worse than he had only two days before. "Just give her to me, Fallingfeather. Please. It-"_

 _He tried to hide the blood that spewed out of his mouth when he coughed but couldn't. "It-It'll make this less painful," he breathed, his voice shaky._

 _Fallingfeather stepped back and pushed the kit forward._

 _My eyes widened-even though she was young, it was clearly Swiftpaw, who Hazepaw had introduced to us at the gathering._

" _Go, dear. Remember what I told you."_

 _Swiftpaw, or kit in this case, looked back at her mother sadly, but then sprinted over the border and stood next to Stonefoot._

" _I didn't name her," Fallingfeather muttered, "I wanted you to."_

 _Stonefoot blinked in surprise and then glanced at the kit._

" _How about Swiftkit?" He laughed bitterly, "For how quickly she dashed over here, and how swift I hope my death will be."_

 _Swiftkit opened her mouth to object but Fallingfeather gave a curt nod. "Fine." Then her eyes softened. "Swiftkit, show me how quickly you can get to that clump of bushes. I'd like to speak with your father one more time."_

 _The newly named Swiftkit, bottom lip trembling, ran back over the border and buried her face into her mother's chest. "I'll miss you," she mewed quietly._

 _Fallingfeather touched her head with her muzzle, and then Swiftkit ran to the clump of bushes her mother had pointed out._

" _Fallingfeather," Stonefoot hissed, "there's something I need to tell you."_

" _What could you possibly have to say?" She spat, her voice laced in sarcasm._

" _This is serious," he mewed, stepping over the border. Fallingfeather rushed back, and he held up a paw. "Wait, its okay! I'm not contagious."_

" _Is this sickness making you biased? Of course you're contagious!"_

" _No," he whispered, "I'm not crazy. Blackcough isn't a worse version of Greencough. Its spread through poison."_

" _What do you mean?"_

" _There's this plant, its called Nightshade. If its digested there's something in it called a…a chemical, I think it was, that causes our bodies to, well, overreact to it and try to get rid of it through making us sick. But my point is that the disease isn't a disease."_

 _Fallingfeather shook her head. "No," she whispered, "No…You don't mean that…"_

 _Stonefoot coughed again and nodded. "Yes. Someone's been doing this to us. To all of us."_

 _Fallingfeather let out a snarl. "I can't believe this," she cried, "Who would even…"_

 _Stonefoot glanced at the sky. The moon was lowering. "I don't know. But I overheard Ebonyeye muttering to himself about it and I needed to tell you before..." he trailed off and looked at her, his eyes full of angst._

 _Fallingfeather sighed. "Tansypelt was diagnosed with Blackcough yesterday. Cherrystar named me the new deputy."_

" _That's, um… great," Stonefoot muttered._

 _She sighed again. "Okay, never mind. I just wanted to let you know. Stonefoot," she breathed, her eyes brimming with tears, "I don't know what I'm going to do without you…"_

 _She ran to him, with newfound knowledge that she couldn't get sick, and engulfed her face in his fur, sobbing. He sat there, his bony face grave, and let her tears seep into his pelt._

 _I swallowed a lump forming in my throat. Why was I seeing this?_

 _Swiftkit had long since crept out of the bushes and was standing only a few fox lengths away, watching and listening to the entire thing._

 _On her face wasn't a look of sadness, though. Her gaze was steely and cold, and I wondered how a kit could have such intense emotion._

 _Did she even remember any of this now?_

 _I needed to get out of here and tell Smokepaw about this. Maybe he would let me go with him and see Hazepaw so that I could tell him, too._

 _With my eyes still set on this horrible scene, I clenched my teeth as a burning sensation crept up my entire body from the very tip of my tail._

* * *

"Silverpaw? Are you okay?"

I groaned, attempting to stand up. I was met with a throbbing in my head, however, so I laid back down, slumped against a tree.

I looked up, and Rainpaw was standing over me, his vibrant green eyes glowing with worry.

"I-I found you unconscious in that clearing…Brackenstar sent out a few patrols to look for you, but I figured you wouldn't want all of them fussing over you so I brought you somewhere more hidden. I hope you didn't mind."

I gave my best friend a grateful smile. "Thanks," I whispered. That was Rainpaw, alright. He knew me so well.

He sat down next to me. "So what happened? You didn't really seem in a great mood when I saw you earlier."

I flicked his side with my tail. "Before I answer your question…you do realize its almost dusk, right? I was out for a while, since it was sunhigh last time I checked. And uh, you know… I'm kind of hungry."

Rainpaw smiled, got up and dug up a squirrel. "I thought so," he mewed, dropping it at my paws, "You're always hungry."

"Not as hungry as you are most of the time," I shot back, digging into the kill.

He shrugged and batted at a falling leaf, following it around the clearing. He looked back at me, bits of the leaf scattered across his muzzle. I laughed. "You're such a kit, Rainpaw."

He pawed the leaf bits away just as I finished the squirrel. "Well, kits are adorable. Thanks for the compliment."

"No, you're just a huge ball of fluff."

He huffed. "Don't remind me. Anyways, are you going to tell me what happened now?"

I looked away. "Um…so, we were battle training-"

Rainpaw snorted. "Let me guess. My brother?"

"Geez, how did you know? But yeah. Bumblepaw gave me this nasty wound on my shoulder, so Bluetail sent me back to go get it treated. But by the time I got to camp…the scratch had completely disappeared. Birdflight thought I was crazy and sent me to my nest to rest, but I left camp instead."

"And that's when you ran into me. I looked for you everywhere, Silverpaw, only to find you in a place I had already searched. How is that possible?"

I took a deep breath. "About that. I hid in a tree and waited for you to leave, then I sat down to think about what happened."

I told him about the mist and what I had seen. "Then I woke up, and you were here."

Rainpaw looked like he was deep in thought. "My question is why you saw that in the first place. And also where that mist came from."

I shrugged. "I figured it was magical or from StarClan or something, if the sun couldn't slice through it."

"But really, Silverpaw. Do you think this could be serious?"

I shrugged again.

I hadn't told Rainpaw about the voice. Or the way the mist felt like it was trying to kill me. If he knew he'd worry, and I didn't want that to happen.

I shook my head. "First Hazepaw and Smokepaw, and now this," I muttered so he couldn't hear, "Rainpaw, something's up. And I don't know if I like what it is."

* * *

 _Swiftpaw_

I opened one eye when I heard Hazepaw stirring to my right.

 _He's probably going to try the light thing again,_ I thought, and waited until he had gone up the dirt path before making sure nobody else saw and followed after him.

In the time since the gathering, he had been going out whenever he had a chance to see if he could make the burst of light happen again, but without luck. I had no idea if he knew I watched him from a safe distance or if he even cared.

But as I padded after him he took a different route than usual.

Hazepaw headed straight to the ThunderClan border, clearing the stream in one leap after gaining speed, and continued to…wherever he was going. I waded through the water, clenching my teeth at the chill, and then ran after him.

He walked through the trees quietly, careful not to get caught up in the underbrush, and stopped in a clearing that had moss for the ground and old pawprints scattered everywhere.

I prodded the moss. It seemed really springy. Was this where the ThunderClan apprentices went to train?

"Smokepaw?" He called quietly, "Are you here?"

I jumped as a figure dropped from a tree and landed in front of him.

"Hey."

I turned around upon hearing a voice behind me, and I was met with the bright violet-blue eyes of Silverpaw.

"Smokepaw, we have a follower," she called, and she Hazepaw's head whipped around.

"Swiftpaw, what are you doing here?" he snapped.

"I'm making sure you don't do something stupid. Why else do you think I'm here?" I spat, adopting the cold façade I had grown to rely on since-

Hazepaw huffed, rolling his eyes. "Well you can't be here."

"And why not?"

"Because," Silverpaw drawled, licking a white paw, "My cuz and Hazepaw are here to talk about _you."_

"What?" I said, turning back around and staring at the two toms, "Why? W-What's so important about me?"

This was why my mother and I couldn't be seen in the same place.

"The resemblance between you and Fallingfeather is uncanny," Smokepaw said simply, " _Too_ uncanny."

Meanwhile Hazepaw was infuriated at Silverpaw and I. "Silverpaw, _you're_ not supposed to be here either! This was supposed to be a quick discussion, nothing more."

Silverpaw suddenly looked grave. "It's much more than that."

"Silvy, what do you mean? What do you know?" Smokepaw hissed.

The black and white she-cat looked away and took a shaky breath. "Something that I thought you could, but I don't think I should tell you. Swiftpaw," her voice drops to a whisper. "What do you know about Blackcough?"

I gasped and took a few steps back. "No-Nothing…"

She took a step closer, her face laden with sympathy. "It's okay. I already know. I just needed to make sure you remembered."

Smokepaw and Hazepaw were watching us, puzzled, so we walked to the trees at the edge of the clearing. When they were out of earshot, I turned back to Silverpaw. "How? How do you know?" I demanded.

She sighed and explained what had happened to her that day.

"That's…I don't… Something weird happened to Hazepaw, too. But not _that_ weird."

Silverpaw looked bewildered. "You mean I'm not the only one?"

"Yes," I muttered, and then continued to tell her what I had seen Hazepaw do. "It was so strange. It was as if the light came from his paws, but that's not possible."

"Yeah well I was attacked by black mist so I don't know what's possible anymore," Silverpaw muttered.

Hazepaw and Smokepaw were padding over to us, Smokepaw's eyes full of amazement and Hazepaw...Hazepaw still looked mad. But his fur was sticking straight up and seemed to be sparking?

He was literally about to be on fire.

"What in the name of StarClan…" I breathed.

"Please tell me what this is. Because I would prefer that I _didn't_ become a walking fireball, thank you very much," The almost walking fireball hissed.

"I don't think that this is fire. Hazepaw, when you killed that rabbit, did you hear a voice?"

I looked up at Silverpaw questioningly. Hazepaw's fur began to wave. "So Swiftpaw told you. And yeah, I heard a voice. It said 'one of stars' right into my ear, and then the light happened."

Silverpaw nodded slowly. "I don't think you're on fire. I think that your body is creating energy that somewhat resemble a star's appearance-a burst of light. You… you're a walking _star."_

* * *

 **I hope you liked it! Tell me what you thought in a review! They're extremely encouraging.**

 **I really enjoyed writing this, because you got to see more of the TC apprentices. In the next chapter they're most likely not going to make an appearance.**

* * *

 **QOTD: So, Hazepaw's a walking star. What do you think Silverpaw is? I'm looking forward to seeing what ideas you might have.**

* * *

 **Don't forget to leave a review! Even if you're a silent reader, a little Hi is nice to see.**

 **Peace out kitties,**

 **~SK💙🐈**


	4. The Shadows

**Gah, I forgot to send out review replies ^^; I have no excuse except that it was Christmas? Anyway, here's your month-late update. Consider it a day after Christmas present. (If you're in a country that celebrates Boxing Day then happy boxing day? I'll shut up now, I have no idea what I'm saying.)**

* * *

 _ **Amberpaw**_

I loved the night.

Nighttime was in my blood. In all of our blood. Nobody loved the night more than ShadowClan.

Nobody loved the night more than me.

If I was a WindClan cat I wouldn't know how I'd survive; all of that open sky terrified me. There were little to no landmarks to help guide you, like a fallen tree or a certain stream that frogs loved to gather at when it was sunhigh.

The pines gave protection, they gave a home. They made our territory special. They held a secretive beauty to them, one that many feared.

But not ShadowClan.

I let my eyes adjust to the darkness as my siblings and a few more apprentices walked into the forest for training with me. It was especially dark tonight; our only guide was the fog that reflected the moon's faint light.

Actually, _my_ guide was Fernheart, who's pawsteps I could hear, but only barely. The rest of my clanmates were following me. The fog was Fernheart's guide.

Or maybe it wasn't. Maybe my mentor knew the territory so well she didn't need to rely on light.

I wanted to know my home that well one day.

I had to avoid running straight into her when she stopped abruptly. "We're here," her voice rang out.

"But Fernheart, we're in-"

"The middle of nowhere? Yes, I know. That's the point of this training exercise, Amberpaw. You and your fellow apprentices need to know this territory like the backs of your paws."

Suddenly she was gone. I couldn't even hear her anymore. What seemed like many moments later, my mentor was back.

"I just followed one of the most advanced trails you're going to learn in your apprenticeship as an example. The point of that was to show how well I know this area. If one of you tried to take that path, I bet you half a rat tail you'd get lost before you'd taken more than ten pawsteps. But you're not going that way now."

"So what path are we _going_ to take?" I asked.

"None of them," Fernheart answered. I could hear the smirk in her tone. "I'm pre-assessing you. Go any way you want to. All I need from you is that you make it back to this spot by dawn. I'm going to be watching Amberpaw."

"So who's going to watch the rest of us?" Bearpaw, my sister, mewed.

Fernheart shook her head. "I would have thought you would recognize your own mentors' scents by now, since they've been in this area the entire time. But that's a lesson for later. Go, all of you. Now."

The familiar smells of my clanmates left me almost immediately. They must have run off in random directions recklessly.

I jumped, startled, when a branch snapped behind me and I felt breath on my neck.

"F-Fernheart? Is that you?"

"Not Fernheart. Not anyone you know. You are _One of Shadows._ "

"Well of course I'm one of shadows," I snorted, "I'm from ShadowClan-"

I gasped when the presence, the breath of the _being_ of some sort, vanished. It didn't disappear gradually, as If it was moving away, but as if it had disappeared into thin air.

And it probably did.

I shuddered, dismissing the foreboding feeling I had felt come over me. I could ponder over that later.

I narrowed my eyes at what I thought I could see only a few fox-lengths before me. It was Fernheart, but not _her_ exactly. It was a faint outline of her figure, one that I shouldn't have been able to see with the amount of lighting that there was.

My senses were heightened, too. I could hear the softest hoot of an owl that could have been badger lengths away. I was suddenly aware of how sticky and cold the soil felt underneath my paws. I could taste the lingering flavor of the finch I had eaten earlier on my tongue. The scents of my clanmates that I thought had gone were still there, just not as strong. I knew every individual way each of them had gone. I was sickened by the fact that I knew there was a carrion toad buried in the ground to my right.

I also knew that Fernheart was still waiting for me to move, except she wasn't in front of me. At least not the _real_ Fernheart. She was sitting in a blue spruce tree around six or seven fox lengths away, watching me with confusion as to why I hadn't moved yet.

The ghostly version of my mentor hadn't moved either. And something had been telling me that I should follow it.

So I did. And as soon as I took a step, it moved forward as well. I experimented with this and found that it would move backwards if I did, too.

I trailed the figure for a while, and I could sense that the sun would rise soon. The fake Fernheart would veer off at random times, and I found myself going the same exact way that she did.

We took a wide, complicated path, and at times I could scent my clanmates nearby. At one point I struggled to get around a massive tree split in two without scratching myself or getting splinters, but then I used an alternate route that I had somehow figured out was there.

And all of this time I wondered what in the world was going on.

My eyes widened as golden light filtered through the pines just as I came back to the small area Fernheart had brought us to before. There was nothing specific about it that made me recognize it. I just _knew._

Badgerpaw was there, too, but nobody else. Fernheart was in the tree behind me but had chosen not to reveal herself yet.

"Amberpaw," Badgerpaw said, "Amberpaw, the strangest thing happened to me when I was trying to find my way back here."

He looked utterly terrified. His dark blue eyes were wide, and his black fur was fluffed up so much that I could see the white streaks that laid under it.

"I was-I thought I had found the way back, and it turned out that I did, and as I was running I-I heard this voice and it said something about four cats. It-It distracted me and I was going to run into a boulder, but...but instead of running into it I went-I went straight _through_ it. I didn't feel anything at all. One moment there was a rock in front of me, and then another all I saw was gray and then I stumbled _out_ of the rock and it was so strange and look at this!" He bounded over to a thin-looking tree, then sat down. His face contorted into one of concentration as he lifted his paw up, then stuck it straight through the tree.

"What? How did you do that?!"

"That's the thing, Amberpaw. I have no idea."

I was standing there, gaping at him, when something told me to _move_ and I did, just before Fernheart would have landed on top of me. I was so stunned I gave her the opportunity to pin me down.

"How did you do that?"

"D-do what?"

"You followed the most advanced path that I learned as an apprentice, in the dark, when I coated myself in a layer of mud to hide my scent so none of you would cheat and go the way I did. You walked in my _exact_ footsteps, except for at the jagged tree. You were too small to leap over it. But _how?_ And _you,_ Badgerpaw, did you just put your paw through that tree?!"

"Uh, yes? I thought it was kind of obvious, since I just lifted my paw and did this-"

Fernheart's pupils dilated in wonder and she stepped off of me.

"Well, I'm very, _very_ puzzled right now, and I don't think that I'm just seeing things. It's daylight, now, so I suggest you go back to camp and get some rest. I'll wait here for the others. We can discuss it with Brindleleaf and Maplespot after sunhigh."

The soft patter of the sprinkling rain was ever present in my ears, my senses more acute now that I had adjusted to them.

I was at peace.

As time stretched, the sprinkle turned into a downpour, and it felt like someone was rapidly pounding my head, each time quicker than the last.

And now I was restless. Horribly, terribly restless.

"Amberpaw?" Badgerpaw whispered, "Are you still awake?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't think we should talk about this with the medicine cats."

I glanced at him from my spot in my nest, where I laid restless after telling him what had happened during my pre-assessment. "Why not?"

"Well, they might start saying things about prophecies and stuff. And there haven't been any prophecies for a really long time, so maybe this isn't important. I mean, If there was a prophecy involved wouldn't the voice have said something? If we're part of a prophecy then we would have been told, right? I just don't think th-"

" _Badgerpaw,"_ I hissed. "I think that you're overthinking this. I'll try to avoid Fernheart for now, just for your sake, but we'll talk later, okay?"

He let out a rather loud sigh. "Alright."

But maybe Badgerpaw was right? Maybe there wasn't anything important about this?

Something told me that wasn't the case.

* * *

 _Troutkit_

"Ashkit! Ashkit, Gullsand is back!"

My littermate's eyes blinked open slowly. "Did she bring back any carp this time?"

I jumped back as the said fish flopped in front of me. "Yep! Hello, Gullsand!" I squeaked.

My mother glanced at me and padded over to Ashkit. "Troutkit, Firerock wants to show you the minnow stream today. This carp is for your sister."

Ashkit's whine rang throughout the nursery. "But _Gullsand,_ why can't _I_ go fishing with father? I can fish just as well as he can!"

Gullsand responded with a purr. "Ashkit, I told you that until you learn to groom yourself properly, you're not going to the streams. Nobody wants to see a she-cat with disheveled fur."

"And I told _you_ mother, I want Wildpaw to teach me. She's so _pretty._ All of the toms like her."

"Oh, alright. You can go to the stream. But you better get a lesson from Wildpaw later."

Ashkit gasped. "Thank you, Gullsand! Let's go, Troutkit."

I trotted after her as she bounded out of her nest made of moss and reeds and shiny things.

Firerock was waiting for us outside. He purred when his eyes fell on Ashkit. "So Gullsand decided to let you come, after all. Follow me, and I'll show you the stream."

For every stride he took my sister had to take three, and by the time we reached the water, Ashkit was at a loss for breath. "How are you tired? I can still see the nursery!" I laughed.

"It isn't funny, Troutkit. My legs are much shorter than yours, you know that."

Firerock ignored the both of us. "Alright, show me what I've taught you."

I stepped eagerly to the edge of the water, glad to see fish flitting beneath the surface. "And be careful. The rain raised the level."

Right. The rain. The sun's light was barely showing through after the storm last night.

I leaned forward, making sure my shadow didn't fall over the water, and slid my paw in carefully. After a few seconds, I felt scales brush against my fur and slammed my paw down on the fish, hooking my claws through its skin.

"Troutkit, how many times have I _told_ you? If you fish like that you're going to scare all of the others away. Now Ashkit isn't going to be able to catch anything.

"Relax, father," I mewed, sinking my teeth into the chewy meat of the minnow I had killed, "It's not like minnows don't come swimming back after a fright. Ashkit can wait a few moments, can't she?"

Firerock shook his head, mumbling something. "Sure, Troutkit. Just...try to be more gentle, okay?"  
I rolled my eyes and swallowed the last of the fish, ignoring the downcast look on my sister's face.

My eyes snapped open when I felt the warmth Ashkit's body provided leave my side.

I watched as she padded silently away from my mother and I, heading for the door.

"Ashkit," I hissed sharply, "Where are you going?"

"-sn't fair-oh, I'm…just going to make dirt."

My eyelids began to lower. "Oh, okay. Come straight back, 'cause Gullsand doesn't like it when we're out by ourselves."

But she was already gone.

I had just tucked my tail over my nose when a memory occurred to me: that was the biggest lie ever told in the entire history of the Clans.

I sprang to my paws, dashing out of the entrance. The moon provided very little light, so I remembered what Firerock had taught me about parting my jaws to catch a scent. At first I was slightly overwhelmed, but then I was able to pick out the kit-smell that stuck out from the others.

Ashkit's scent led to the minnow stream.

 _Making, dirt, huh? I don't think so._

And then there was a splash.

"Oh no," I whispered, running even faster.

My sister's head was bobbing above and below the water, which was deeper than usual.

"Troutkit," she spluttered, "Troutkit, help me!"

"Here, try swimming to me!" I inched closer to the edge of the bank, stretching out my paw.

Limbs thrashing and head still bobbing, Ashkit tried. "I-I can't! My tail's stuck!"

"Forget your tail, reach out to me. I'll grab you!"

She pumped her legs furiously, but to no avail. She wasn't moving. "T-troutkit...I'm sorry. I can't make it to you!"

I watched in horror as she let out a breath and sunk below the surface.

" _Gullsand!"_ I wailed, running back to the nursery. " _Gullsand,_ Ashkit is dead! She's dead, I couldn't save her!"

I was intercepted by my father. "Troutkit. Troutkit, calm down. What do you mean, Ashkit is dead? She should be in the nursery. So should you."

"No," I panted, " _No,_ she's dead. She _drowned."_

 _"What do you mean she drowned?_ We're RiverClan. We don't _drown,"_ Firerock hissed. "Take me to her."

I brought him along the now familiar path to the minnow stream.

There, floating on the water was the body of my sister, her soft grey fur waterlogged and her tail half submerged, surely stuck under a rock or something of the sort.

Firerock turned on me. "How did this happen?"He snarled. "What did you _do,_ Troutkit?"

I explained how I had seen her leave the nursery and followed her.

"I tried to save her," I murmured, "I really did. But her tail was caught in something and she couldn't move."

Firerock glowered at me and then dove into the water. A few moments later he resurfaced, Ashkit on his back and her tail free. Shouldering past me, he headed for the medicine cat's den. By now a fair number of Warriors had risen from their nests, bleary eyed and confused as to why they were being woken in the middle of the night.

Gullsand was also out of the nursery, looking absolutely terrified. She dashed over to Firerock and I.

"What happened? Ashkit? Ashkit, dear, wake up, _wake up!_ "

My father slid her off of his shoulders, her body thudding on the ground. My mother buried her face in her fur, sobbing.

"This is your fault."

The words sounded so bitter, so laden with poisonous hatred from my own _father_.

"Its _your_ fault Ashkit is dead. My _daughter_ is dead because of you!"

He lashed out with a paw, claws unsheathed, landing a blow to my face. I flinched, blinking the blood out of my eyes, along with tears.

"But Firerock, I-"

"I don't want to _hear_ it, Troutkit. Get out of my sight. _Now."_

I began to pad away, when Gullsand uttered something that felt like a thousand more blows, except to my heart.

 _"I no longer consider you my son."_

I ran.

 _They're in shock,_ I told myself, _they're in shock, they don't realize what they're saying, I'm their son, I'm their kit, they can't do this!_

The blows to my heart scarred over and hardened and flesh grew back except it was layered in ice.

 _I'm almost an apprentice anyway. I don't need them. I know how to hunt, I can sleep behind the nursery, or something._

I _don't need them._

I repeated this to myself, over and over and over until it became a sort of comfort to me.

 _I don't need them._

I looked up to see where I had stopped. I laughed bitterly upon seeing that it was, of course, the site of my sister's death.

 _"Two will follow the path of hate,"_ the wind seemed to whisper. I ignored it, because I could see, although barely, pawprints that might have been bigger than mine, very fresh pawprints, leading out of the other side of the stream and into the thin forest of trees.

* * *

 **Yay! Our first death, everyone!**

 **...**

 **Ahem.**

 **SO, I've never written from a kit's point of view, if you have any tips, I'd be happy to listen. And it'd be nice if you left a review!**

 **Also, I'm getting a new laptop( _finally),_ so my updates should start to come regularly.**

* * *

 **QOTD: This has nothing to do with the story, but what was your favorite Christmas present?**

 **AOTD: I can't name a certain item yet, because I'm getting more presents from my extended family today, but I received the Young Elites Trilogy by Marie Lu. She's an amazing author, I _highly_ reccomend reading some of her books.**

* * *

 **Anyway, Merry Christmas(And Hanukkah, and anything I don't know of) ! And have a happy New Year!**

 **Peace out kitties,**

 **~SK**


	5. The Oh-So-Special Daylight Gathering

**This chapter took _forever_ to write; It is the longest I've written, ever, at around 14,000 words, so enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **Bearpaw**_

Grinning to myself, I replayed Badgerpaw and Amberpaw's conversation in my mind for the umpteenth time. They weren't the only ones who had experienced strange things last night.

 _This is_ so _cool,_ I thought. _What if we actually_ are _part of a prophecy?_

Then again, the Clans _had_ lived in peace for seasons. If these abilities meant a prophecy, then a prophecy meant something was happening.

And it could be something big.

Embersplash's presence dispelled my thoughts. "You ready for this, kit?" The smirk on his face made me flash one of my own.

Last night my mentor bet that I couldn't beat him back to Fernheart's meeting spot, but with my newfound discovery... well, it was as easy as snapping the neck of a lizard. Embersplash was "furious," and demanded a rematch.

So here we were.

The clearing transformed drastically overnight. Debris was strewn everywhere, sopping wet and covered in mud. But while the ground looked awful, the sun's rays put a beautiful glow on the pine trees, the water dripping from them bathed in the light as well... If only Amberpaw were here; My sister would love this.

I glanced down at my paws; their pristine white color was stained a dark brown, almost matching my pelt. Embersplash snickered at me. "What, is the pretty she-cat all fussed up about her paws?"

I shot him a glare. "You know I'm not the type to obsess over those types of things, Splash."

"Well you're still getting rid of that kit fluff, so I would think not." He stiffened for a moment, thoughtfulness clouding his gaze. "But you _do_ know... in a few moons, toms are going to start to notice you. It's only a matter of time."

I stared at him incredulously. " _Huh?_ Um, _no. Absolutely_ not, Embersplash."

He returned the look. " _Whoa,_ slow down, kit! I was thinking of no such thing. You're like a younger sister to me. That's disgusting. I was just stating." He smiled to himself, looking down. "In fact, I think Thornpaw's getting eyes for you already," My mentor teased.

I wrinkled my nose. It was no secret that I was prettier than most-not to be prideful, I was always seen this way-but I had _just_ become seven moons! There wasn't any need for this nonsense at my age. In fact, I wasn't even sure I _wanted_ something like that. I shook my head. How did this conversation happen to be stumbled upon, anyway?

"Don't you have a race to lose?" I quipped drily. The look on Embersplash's face was worth it. " _Lose?_ I think you're talking about yourself, kit."

"Oh, It's _on."_

"Bring it. First one back to camp wins. Then you need to go get prepped for the daylight gathering. Mama's orders."

I snorted at Sparrowclaw's antics. _Really?_ I was literally headed to a bunch of competitions-

Well, I didn't _actually_ know whatthe daylight gathering was going to be like; that was just an assumption. But that's what I was betting.

Anyway, I had a race to win.

"Ready for your defeat?"

"Again, Bearpaw. You have it backwards."

"Prove me wrong, then," I mewed, and took off. I cackled at the sound of my mentor spluttering, sprinting after me.

"You can't _do_ that!" He panted, catching up to me. "'Oh yeah?" I said back, "Watch me."

With that, I quickened my pace. That was difficult since the sticky mud threatened to trap my paws underneath its surface, but I wasn't worried.

After all, hadn't I discovered I could do something Embersplash couldn't last night?

Smirking, I ran faster. The trees went by me in a blur, faster than they should have. By now, I couldn't even hear the tell-tale squish of mud that signified my mentor's location.

Soon enough, I spotted and stopped at the ShadowClan's camp entrance. I sat in a bed of pine needles, smugly awaiting Embersplash's arrival.

 _Four Cats will have the strength of eight..._

I felt a chill go down my spine at the memory of the voice. Whether it was a good or bad one, I didn't know. Badgerpaw had mentioned that it had said something about four cats... that made two of us. Amberpaw could be the third, possibly? But what about the fourth? I shook my head, growling in frustration and shoving the thought to the back of my mind.

Ugh, Embersplash was taking _ages... maybe_ I should have slowed down a bit. I'd have to practice controlling my speed later. Fortunately, my mentor came at that moment, his wide eyes blinking hard and in shock.

I grinned. "What was that about me having it backwards?"

He blinked again. "L-let's just... you should go to Sparrowclaw."

* * *

I stifled another laugh as I heard him mutter, "What in the name of StarClan was _that?"_

"Why again do I have to do this? It's leaf-fall, for StarClan's sake! I'll freeze!"

I continued to dig my heels into the ground as Sparrowclaw pushed me towards the lake. "It'll only take a few moments, Bearpaw. It's the only way to get this disgusting mud off of you before the Daylight Gathering."

 _Ugh._ That was all anyone was talking about. 'The Daylight Gathering This, Daylight gathering That.' What could possibly be so great about it?

"Couldn't I have dipped in the pool? Why the lake?"

"You know as well as I do that the pool is strictly for medicine cats and elders, Bearpaw."

"Come _on,_ Mother, I don't want to catch whitecough!"

"A quick dip in the lake is _not_ going to give you a cold, much less whitecough."

I huffed, giving up. There was no way out of this, was there? "Urgh, _fine._ Just stop pushing me."

I didn't have to step in that stupid lake to know it was _freezing._ But I guess I had to.

"It's not that difficult, Bearpaw. Just, um, submerge yourself. The clumps of mud should come right off, and then you can get the rest off normally."

 _Okay,_ I thought, _Not that hard. Wait-_

"You never said anything about going completely under before," I hissed. Sparrowclaw shrugged.

"Well, now I did."

I growled, taking a tentative step towards the water. I was glad there wasn't a large amount of rocks near the edge, otherwise I would have experienced a nice, cold, spray of mist to pre-soak me-

Spoke too soon. _Ugh._

At least the sun was out, though at the moment it was hidden by a few clouds. Meadowstar had said the gathering was just before sunhigh, which gave me a little bit of time.

 _Ugh,_ I thought again.

"Come on, Bearpaw. We don't have all day."

I stifled a snarl, slamming my forepaw in the water and resisting the extremely strong urge to withdraw it immediately. I gritted my teeth, taking another step, and then another, and another, and another, until my belly fur was brushing the surface of the lake. This was _horrible._

When I looked down I saw that the water was murky, and when I lifted up a paw I saw that it was almost white again. I hated it when my mother was right.

* * *

We mainly used the trees to return to camp, since Sparrowclaw wouldn't quit obsessing over my fur, and how it needed to be absolutely _perfect._ No mud whatsoever. It was difficult at first, since We hadn't started the tree-climbing portion of training yet, but once I got the hang of it, it was okay.

I avoided Thornpaw, who tried to bring me a mouse, dodged Lizardpaw and Weaselpaw, who kept trying to ask me how my race with Embersplash went, and completely ignored Duskpaw. I mean, he was nice, but I really didn't want to talk right now. I wanted to find a patch of sun and finish drying off before this oh-so-special Daylight Gathering.

But of course, as soon as I found said patch, Meadowstar's tell-tale yowl rang from atop the Hazel Branch.

I trudged groggily to the center of camp to stare up at her. I jumped when Thornpaw sat beside me, Cloudpaw on my other side. I didn't mind Cloudpaw. I might have even gone to say that she was my best friend, but I wasn't sure yet. Her brother was flat out irritating, though. Well, two out of three of her brothers.

Thornpaw and Lizardpaw were almost identical, with light brown pelts and amber eyes. The only difference between them was that the more annoying of the two had tabby markings. Badgerpaw was the third. He was fine, when he didn't get overexcited.

Cloudpaw was a lot like me, in more ways than one. She Had three siblings, she didn't let what anyone said get to her head, and she had a mother that, to her, was just as annoying as Sparrowclaw was to me, to name a few. Her wide, bright green eyes rarely moved away from Duskpaw, though. That was where she was different from me. Seven moons and she was already infatuated with him.

But that didn't matter, at the moment. Meadowstar was about to tell me what was _so great_ about this Daylight Gathering.

"Now, quiet down, I know you're all excited," she mewed loudly, still somehow managing to keep up that drawl, "And I know that you apprentices are eager to know just what exactly is going to occur at the Daylight Gathering."

I pricked my ears. _Come on, spill!_

"Unfortunately, you'll just have to wait and see."

I refused to stifle the groan that exploded from my mouth.

"The queens, elders, Maplespot, and the small number of you I have selected are to stay behind. The rest of you, it is time to leave. I want all apprentices to stay by their mentors until further notice. May StarClan light your path on your journey, Maplespot." Our leader dipped her head to the she-cat.

 _That's right, tonight's the half moon, she'll be going to the Moonpool... I hope she stays safe._

With that, Meadowstar sprang off of the branch and trotted over to Redpaw. Sparrowclaw and Wolfstep always scolded me for avoiding the reddish she-cat, but who could blame me? Just before I had been apprenticed she showed up, stating that she was from the mountains. Naturally, the Clans welcomed her since the cats of the Tribe were our allies, but I just didn't trust her. Even Embersplash had been a bit spooked when she showed up, but when I asked him about it, he had told me it was nothing. The look in his eyes said otherwise.

"Boo."

I spun around with claws unsheathed, startled.

"Flamepaw! How many times-" I stopped midsentence. There was no point in telling my brother off _again._

His blue eyes sparkled with amusement. "Ready for the Daylight Gathering? Where's Embersplash?"

"Hello."

Flamepaw's fur spiked and then flattened as Embersplash shoved himself between Thornpaw and I, which I was eternally grateful for. "I suppose I deserved that," my brother mewed.

Once everyone was ready, Meadowstar lead the majority of ShadowClan out of camp, Redpaw and Petalwhisker trailing just after her.

The Clans met on the Island for the Daylight gathering, that much I knew. I hadn't really talked to any of the apprentices from other clans a half moon ago at my first gathering... maybe I could today.

When we arrived at the island, RiverClan was the only Clan there. Flamepaw noticed me glancing at them every few moments.

"I know what you're thinking... I wouldn't go over there if I were you, Bearpaw. Did you forget my last encounter with them?"

I sighed. "I know, but it wouldn't hurt to say hello, would it?" "It would. It definitely would, especially for you-" Without asking if he'd like to join me, I trotted over to them. "Bearpaw, what are you doing, get back here...!"

Naturally Flamepaw went with me anyway. In terms of apprentices, all I saw way grey. Grey and variations of brown. No ginger, no white, just grey and brown. My brother definitely stuck out.

"Ooh, look at you! Look at your pelt! It's so pretty! _You're_ so pretty!Can I touch your fur?"

I cringed, growling under my breath when Flamepaw shot me a triumphant smirk. Gritting my teeth, I gave the spotted she-cat the fakest grin I could muster. " _Sure."_

The she-cat circled me, making noises of amazement. I tried to ignore how disturbingly soft her paws were as she prodded me. Flamepaw shoved himself between the two of us. " _Enough_ , Tawnypaw. My sister is not something for you to admire." He glared at one of the two gray toms, whose jaw was slack. " _You too,_ Stonepaw!" He snapped. Stonepaw flattened his ears sheepishly.

The other grey tom held the ghost of a smile on his features. The light gray tabby she-cat next to him noticed. "Guys, Shadepaw almost smiled. It's a miracle from StarClan."

"I don't believe it, Wildpaw," A golden and brown tom piped up, whose name I discovered was Tendrilpaw.

Okay, so there were the three gray cats, who I assumed were siblings: The never-happy one, Shadepaw, The tabby she-cat, Wildpaw, and the typical, she-cat loving tom, Stonepaw. Tawnypaw was the spotted one who invaded my space, and Tendrilpaw was the golden-brown tabby. There was still one more cat yet to be named.

"Hey," I said softly to the one who hadn't spoken, "What's your name?"

He looked up quickly, wonder clouding his gaze once he laid his light blue eyes on me.

"R-Risepaw. My name's Risepaw."

I smiled. "Hi. I'm Bearpaw."

"Nice-Nice to meet you, Bearpaw."

I could've sworn he almost melted into a puddle.

ThunderClan and WindClan arrived at the same time. I had met one of the ThunderClan apprentices at the full moon...Dawnpaw, I think. I hadn't liked Dawnpaw. She pretty much confirmed all of the rumors I had heard about their Clan. .

I considered introducing myself to some of them, but I had experienced enough ogling for now. After saying goodbye to Risepaw, Shadepaw, and Wildpaw-the only three of them that I had actually liked-I went back to the mass of cats that was ShadowClan.

"Greetings to everyone, and welcome to our Daylight Gathering!"

The sounds of chatter died down as the leaders waited patiently.

"Now, I'm sure all of you are excited," Meadowstar yowled. I silently hoped she wouldn't give some long speech, because her words were giving me a feeling of deja vu. "And I won't stall any of you. To refresh your memories, here's how the gathering works: you will all be entering a series of competitions."

I nudged Flamepaw. _You owe me a quarter moon of apprentice duties,_ I mouthed.

"Brackenstar, Aspenstar, Cherrystar and I are going to divide the apprentices into teams." Frowning, she said, "There may be a few more ThunderClan and ShadowClan cats on each team, however. I don't want to hear any complaints."

Aspenstar stepped forward first. "I will represent team one. The apprentices on team one are as follows: Smokepaw, Honeypaw, and Hazelpaw of ThunderClan, Flamepaw, Cloudpaw, and Thornpaw of ShadowClan, Hazepaw and Runningpaw of WindClan, and Shadepaw of RiverClan. Please gather in a group, along with your mentors."

Flamepaw flicked my side with his tail. "Good luck, sis. If my team beats yours-which it will-you get to hunt for me until I say so."

I shrugged at him. "Fine. I'm not worried about you, much less your team. See you, bro."

He smirked at me and then went to find Nightstripe. After muttering a quick goodbye Cloudpaw followed close behind him.

"Team two's apprentices are Heartpaw, Bramblepaw, Blossompaw, and Mousepaw of ThunderClan, Duskpaw, Amberpaw, Snowpaw, and Badgerpaw, of ShadowClan, Coalpaw of WindClan, and Risepaw of RiverClan. I will represent them," Brackenstar mewed.

I sort of zoned out until I heard my name, but at least I knew Orangepaw and Lizardpaw were on Team three.

I was on Meadowstar's team, of course, so I padded over to where she stood. I stifled a groan upon seeing Redpaw... whatever competitions I was about to participate in, I didn't want to speak a word to her.

"Oh, hello, Bearpaw! Isn't it cool that we're on the same team? I'll finally get a chance to speak with you more!"

Well, _that_ just got thrown into the lake.

" _Hi,_ Redpaw. Fancy seeing you here," I muttered through gritted teeth.

"But we are on the same team..." She frowned, her tribal accent making her words sound thick and sharp, "Of course I would see you here, wouldn't I? Hi, Silverpaw."

My head snapped to the side upon hearing the name of violet-eyed she-cat. I didn't meet her gaze though; while they were pretty, said eyes were also slightly unnerving.

"Bearpaw," she said smoothly, not even sparing me a glance. I could get used to that.

"Silverpaw." I tilted my head towards her in response.

She shot a swift glance to the two toms beside her, her expression dampening for a moment. "Bearpaw, Redpaw, I suppose you should meet Rainpaw and Bumblepaw... though, if I were you, I wouldn't want to meet Bumblepaw. Rainpaw is the better brother."

The lighter grey tabby- _what was it with all of these grey cats?-_ smirked a little at that, but only fleetingly. Bumblepaw muttered something that I couldn't make out. "Well, um, my clanmates are Weaselpaw and Marshpaw... and of course you've met _Redpaw."_

Rainpaw raised an eyebrow at me as if to ask " _why the emphasis?"_ But I guessed none of his expressions lasted long enough because it was lowered half a second later.

"Is everyone here?" Meadowstar asked.

"Um, not everyone!" Wildpaw panted, narrowly missing me as she skidded across the leaf-fall leaves, along with Tendrilpaw and, uh...Cloverpaw, from WindClan. Yeah. I'm pretty sure that was her name.

Meadowstar sighed. " _Now_ is everyone here?" There were no more almost-killing-Bearpaw incidents, so I guessed so.

"Alright, then," She mewed, "Follow me, and let your first Daylight gathering begin."

* * *

 _ **Smokepaw**_

Who cursed me so badly as to have the stupid, absolutely _mouse-brained_ idea to put Honeypaw and Hazelpaw on the same team? Because I was just about ready to have their head and keep it next to me while I slept for good luck.

I mean, _sure_ , I should be glad Hazepaw and Flamepaw and Shadepaw were on my team, but _come on._ Who puts identical twins on the same team? With _me,_ nonetheless?

I was still absolutely seething when the squirrel suddenly flew above and over my head, into the jaws of Shadepaw. "Pay attention," he hissed between the rough fur.

The first competition was the squirrel toss. I had learned very quickly that our mentors were only coaches and were _not_ helping whatsoever. They stood on the sidelines, yowling commands that I didn't really need or want to hear.

Thankfully, our teams had been combined for squirrel toss. Apparently this was the only time it was going to happen, so I was going to cherish the brief moments I would get with Silvy again.

"Catch, Smokepaw!"

I whipped around, slammed my jaws around the frozen squirrel(yes, disgusting, I know, but they froze a new one after each Daylight Gathering), and ran for the dark line etched into the ground at the edge of Mossy Hollow.

I swear, my paw _had_ been over that line, but apparently a dark ginger mass of silky fur slammed me out of the way before that paw touched the ground.

 _Heartpaw,_ I thought immediately. Only she wouldn't be afraid to hit me with such force. "I'll take _that_ ," she mewed, plucking the squirrel from my jaws with a dainty paw, "And _you_ have fun sitting on the ground like the mouse-brained fool that you are. Here, Blossompaw."

Their team got the first point. Great StarClan, why was she so irritating? And her irritatingness depended on her mood. When she was happy, she never stopped pestering me. When she was angry, she'd give me the cold shoulder and get all snappy regardless of whether I had been the cause of her anger or not(I usually was). Sad? That was the worst. It'd be sniffle upon sniffle upon loads of sobs...

" _Smokepaw!_ Snap out of it, did you forget we're in the middle of a game?" A sharp kick in my side from Rainpaw jolted me out of my thoughts. Eartips burning, I grimaced. "Thanks, buddy."

"No problem," he shrugged, "Now let's win this game."

Squirrel Toss was... interesting, to say the least. Our team's advantage proved to be the twins, unfortunately. When someone from the opposing team thought they were passing to Heartpaw on multiple occasions, we scored a few points. Honestly, I couldn't comprehend how one could be so stupid anyway. Heartpaw was easy to tell apart from the other two.

After the fourth confusion, the game became heated. The other team finally learned what caution meant, and it ended with a close call. Of course, our team won, but I had to admit...WindClanners could be deadly.

"So...you won," Heartpaw mewed, padding up to me.

"Yes. Are you surprised?"

"That your klutzy self didn't trip and break your face during the game? Yes. Yes I am." Her pawsteps fell in sync with mine as we walked to some area in WindClan's territory for the next competition.

"I don't understand why you think I'm a klutz, Love."

She cuffed me over the ears. "Don't call me love."

"I can do as I please, Sweet _heart._ "

And then I ran, because I knew how much she hated it when I said that.

I looked on miserably as the select few from my team raced across the moor. I was better at fighting than I was running, so Heartpaw's reason for calling me a klutz was a good one.

I grimaced at the memory; I had ended up falling on top of her after stumbling over my own paws.

Shadepaw, Runningpaw, and Hazelpaw were doing well, though none could compare to Swiftpaw. Not only was she well, _swift_ , she was also from WindClan and therefore knew the moors better than most. Not even Bearpaw, who had seemed pretty confident at the starting of the race, could beat her.

So at the end of the races the score stood as my team first(team 1), then Swiftpaw's team(team 3), Silvy's team(team 4), and Heartpaw's team in final place(team 2).

"I mean, the races weren't very exciting to me because I wasn't in them, and I don't like running, anyways, so I kind of zoned out." I muttered to Hazepaw, who was asking me if I even paid attention.

"So the answer is no?" He asked, amusement in his tone.

"Uh, yeah. What do you think we might be doing next?"

"Well, it seems as if we're kind of going in a circle, so I guess-" He was cut off by a cheerful yowl from Cherrystar.

"We'll be heading to RiverClan's territory next, for a competition I'm sure my Clan will like-a swimming relay!"

"Oh, Great StarClan _no,"_ Hazepaw gasped, uttering a curse.

" _Yes,"_ Shadepaw cackled, bounding up to us. "Finally, something I can actually _enjoy."_

I wrinkled my nose. I didn't mind the water, but during leaf-fall? It was bound to be freezing.

I felt my fur tingle and realized it was due to Hazepaw. His pelt was about to go _crazy._ "Are you really that nervous?" I whispered.

"I just can't stand water," he hissed. His paws were beginning to glow, sort of?

"Okay, okay! Just... try to calm down before you blow someone to dust."

He looked down in bewilderment, but that only made things worse. His gray and silver fur had made him look like a giant puff, and he let out a startled squeak. I stifled a snort, but I had to think quickly, before someone really noticed.

Then the sound of lapping water met my ears, and I pushed him into the lake, which we so conveniently happened to be walking next to. Hazepaw spat a curse at me, but then shook himself off hastily. Fortunately, the water seemed to nullify his powers, so there was no more puffiness to be seen. Just a sopping wet, very angry friend of mine. And at the moment I was very glad that he couldn't do anything, otherwise I would probably be the one blasted into bits.

"Well, at least you're warmed up." I snickered. I was probably making things worse for myself.

"More like frozen."

"Um, Hazepaw, what just _happened_ to you? You looked like a fluffy bunny, but now you look like a drowned rat." Shadepaw added.

"Gee, thanks," he muttered, "I always wanted to be a drowned rat."

Shadepaw let out another snicker. "Well, you've achieved your life goal! Congrats."

Honestly, I don't know when or how Shadepaw got here. He just kind of... was there. He, Flamepaw, Hazepaw and I just clicked. Speaking of Flamepaw...

"I know you're behind me in that bush, Flamepaw. Your scare tactics may work on your sister, but they don't work on me."

"Aw, Lizard-dung," he huffed hopping out and squeezing between Shadepaw and I, "I almost got you! And yeah, congrats on your becoming of a drowned rat, Hazepaw."

"I assure you, you did not. Besides, with that ginger pelt of yours, it's easy to see you."

"Curse this ginger fur of mine," he spat playfully.

The triangle of land that was RiverClan's camp came into view. I glanced nervously at Hazepaw. If the mere _thought_ of water upset him, but the water snuffed out his powers, then...

"Um, Hazepaw, I think you're going to have to participate in the relay."

His head snapped towards me, and he gave me a furious glare all while I explained to him, keeping my voice low so Shadepaw and Flamepaw didn't overhear. "Come on, you have to," I pleaded.

He sighed in defeat. "I don't like this."

I rested my tail on his shoulder. "I know, but try your best, okay? For Swiftpaw's sake."

His fur, still damp, fizzed a bit when I mentioned Swiftpaw. "What does she have to do with this?"

"Well, this started when she showed up with Silverpaw, right?"

"I guess... but I don't think it's because of her," he insisted.

"Well, it doesn't matter. Do it for the sake of secrecy, then." I think my voice harbored a bit of the frustration I was feeling, because he seemed to submit, a bit. Not that I thought I was _higher_ than him or anything, contradictory to what the rumors stated.

"For the sake of secrecy...fine."

Cherrystar, who was leading the group, paused and turned around. "The way the relay is going to work is that there's going to be four of you, preferably one cat from each Clan, set at different points around the streams. This will be the starting point," she mewed, flicking her tail towards the water. "Four of you will station yourselves here." She waded across the stream, into the camp. We followed, staying outside the camp.

"Four more of you, each from separate teams, will be waiting at this cluster of boulders. Once the first cat swims to you, they must tag you, and then the next cats will go to the fork in the streams, and the next back to the original starting point, and the last to the boulders again. You will have a few minutes to decide which cats will be engaging in the race."

Aspenstar called our team over into one group. "Shadepaw," she said, nodding to him, "since you're our only RiverClan cat you're definitely racing. Um...Smokepaw and Hazepaw, you didn't race on the moor so this is obligatory. Sorry if you don't like it, but those are the rules. Cloudpaw, too, you can be first. Then Hazepaw, Smokepaw, and Shadepaw."

"Wow," Hazepaw muttered, "I guess I was going to have to, anyway."

"Good luck," I mewed, hesitantly dipping a paw in the water to swim across and cut through their camp to reach the fork. Dear StarClan, it was _freezing._ I didn't want to even imagine what it would feel like during leaf-bare.

I looked around in awe at the glittering dens of RiverClan. I mean, I got that they were vain(no offense to Shadepaw, but even _he_ was, kind of), but did they have to make their _camp_ look pretty? It's one thing to make it neat and organized, but to go to the extremity of putting whatever shiny thing they could find in the reeds atop their dens was on a whole different level all together.

Were those _fish scales?_ This was _not_ okay.

Shuddering, I went faster, until I was sitting in a clump of reeds with Badgerpaw, Sootpaw, and Wildpaw. For a moment I marveled at how may names I knew. Were they already popular or was it me?

It had to be me. There was no way I could remember unless I had been "flattered" that they had wanted to meet me.

" _Hey_ , cuz," I mewed, nudging Sootpaw, "I noticed that you're on a team with your favorite sister out of the Brigttail spawns."

He let out a long, mournful groan. "Don't even get me started on Dawnpaw, Smokepaw. It's like I'm you and she's Heartpaw. And I know how much Heartpaw annoys you, so let's just say she's three times as annoying."

Yep. Heartpaw annoyed me, that's a fact, she was _so_ irritating-

"-mokepaw? Smokepaw!"

"Hmm?" Was she in the relay? I wonder-

"The relay just started."

"Oh."

My mind drifted back to Hazepaw. He wouldn't be too traumatized by the end of the day, I hoped.

At the boulders, there was a tremendous splash, and then Hazepaw was in the water. I had the feeling that he was pushed; Cloudpaw had finished faster than I had anticipated. I craned my neck to see my friend, who was attempting to swim like a clumsy badger. I hated to even think that, but it was true. He was doing surprisingly, uh, _okay._ Coalpaw, who was on team two, reached the next point a little bit of time before him, so Badgerpaw dived in, streaking through the water as best as he could.

Hazepaw heaved himself onto the bank, gasping for breath. " _Go,_ Smokepaw," he hissed.

I would have said something, but he insisted I go before Icepaw, his brother, got here. Sure enough, moments after I slipped into the stream, Sootpaw was behind me.

Okay, so I didn't last that long. Sootpaw... well, he and Silverpaw had RiverClan blood, they both loved the water, and they both had thick, sleek fur, so I didn't stand a chance. And Wildpaw was a pure-blooded RiverClan cat, so she passed me, too. Oh, and the water was very, very, _very_ I got back to camp I was going to go straight to Birdflight and take some herbs that would stop whitecough before it came up. _Or_ -

I chased the (wonderful and terrifying) idea out of my head. _No. Absolutely not, Smokepaw,_ I scolded.

 _Cold, cold, cold..._

Thankfully, Shadepaw was just ahead, leaning in anticipation over the water, a look of determination on his face. And as I pulled myself out of the ( _cold)_ water, I realized why. We were in last place, yeah, that was important, but he was racing against his brother. And the two of them, he had said, had a very thick rivalry when it came to, well, _anything_. They weren't very close at all, either.

I gaped at the speed of which Shadepaw swam through the stream. He passed Silverpaw without a glance, and soon enough was a few fox lengths behind Stonepaw. Team two had already finished, since they got a head start at the second point, so now if was just Shadepaw and his littermate.

And, while my friend was fast, Stonepaw was faster. I bounded over to the pile of boulders, not saying a word as the two of them glared at each other, though Stonepaw wore a triumphant smirk.

I padded to Shadepaw and nudged him in warning. He shot me a sharp glance, gave Stonepaw one more glare, then sighed in defeat and went with me over to where Hazepaw was curled up in a clump of bushes.

At first, he seemed to be asleep, but then I realized all of his fur had been licked in the opposite direction and he was glowing again, kind of. "What in the name of StarClan...?" Shadepaw murmured, and I panicked.

 _Badger-dung, how am I going to explain this?!_

I went to tap Hazepaw with my paw, but before I could get there I pulled away, hissing. I hadn't even reached him and my paw had sizzled. Forget being cold. Burning up was much, much worse.

"Hazepaw! _Hazepaw,_ " I hissed loudly(well, as loudly as a hiss could get), "The relay is over! They might see you!"

Suddenly his eyes snapped open and the glow faded. He stood up, stretching, and his fur smoothed down almost immediately. I guess it _hadn't_ been licked. It was probably an effect from, uh... what _was_ that?

I didn't realize that I had spoken the last part out loud(but I did realize that the middle of the bush where Hazepaw had been was a crisp black, as if something had burned it.).

"Um, I really don't kn- _Shadepaw?!_ What did you see...!"

Shadepaw just stared at him. And then he crouched in the shadow of the bush and disappeared.

"Wha-What just happened-" Then he reappeared in the same spot. Great StarClan, we were going to be seen... or Hazepaw and I were, anyway.

"Let me guess," Shadepaw said, "you were about, minding your own business, when something strange happened to you and you heard a voice and now you have powers? Yeah, me too."

He said it so casually, as if it was no big deal. And, like always, I would have said more, but I was interrupted by Meadowstar.

"Cats of the Clans," she yowled, "We are now headed to ShadowClan's territory to what I assure you will be your favorite competition. It's actually less of a competition and more of a game, but that doesn't matter. We're playing what us leaders like to call Grog."

* * *

"Grog," I muttered, testing out the word on my tongue for the umpteenth time. It was such an interesting word, but fitting for the game.

According to Meadowstar, the way the game worked was that she, and the rest of the leaders were so-called "Monsters," aka grogs. They had to go around, tackling the apprentices and mentors. Once they were tackled, they had to go back to the island.

The goal of the game was to defeat the grogs, but the only way to do that was to get them all into ShadowClan's camp, then shower them all in goldenrod. The only problem with that was you could only get the goldenrod from Ravenpaw, ThunderClan's medicine cat apprentice. And the problem with _that_ was she was hiding somewhere in either Thunder or ShadowClan territory.

So the objective of the game was to pretty much find Ravenpaw. Then we could trap the leaders and win the game. Oh, and whichever team found her first got bonus points. The team with the most players still in the game by the end was the winning team.

If all of us got out, or it reached moonhigh before we trapped the leaders, then nobody won. I wasn't about to let _that_ happen.

Right now it was dusk, heading onto twilight. Meadowstar said we had until the sun completely set to spread out across the four territories and _run._ I debated on going off by myself, but decided it wouldn't be safe and stuck with Hazepaw and Shadepaw instead. Flamepaw decided to go off with some other ShadowClan cats. Besides...Shadepaw had some explaining to do.

We settled for hiding in RiverClan territory, against Hazepaw's wishes. Brackenstar and Meadowstar were dangerously silent when it came to being in the forest, and though they never said they would be there, we were playing it safe. Plus, it was a horrible idea to go on the moor, unless we wanted to get spotted immediately, so RiverClan it was. Also, we were already there.

The three of us hid in a Pine Grove near Horseplace. Once we had climbed the trees and were at a height that was good to hide in, but easy to climb down from, much to Hazepaw's protest, again, I forced Shadepaw to spill.

"Okay," he said in a low tone, "I think I was hunting with Wildpaw when it happened. I was about to meet up with her near a clump of boulders, but then I walked into the shadow of them, and she couldn't find me. Just before it happened, I felt as if someone came up behind me and whispered 'One of Darkness.' Eventually I stepped out of the shadow when my sister gave up and headed back to camp, but I was _really_ confused, and didn't tell anyone about it."

"The voice said 'One of Stars' to me," Hazepaw grumbled from his position in a lower branch, and recounted what had happened to him on the moor. I hadn't even heard this story, and my eyes widened as I listened. "Silverpaw came up with the idea that I was a walking star, which kind of makes sense, but it's just _... weird._ I was normal, but now I have to control these... powers, constantly worried if I'm going to reveal them in front of someone other than Swiftpaw, Smokepaw, Silverpaw, and now you. _"_

Shadepaw went to hold up a paw, but then realized that was a bad idea since he was in a tree. "Wait, hold on. When were Silverpaw and Swiftpaw ever involved in this? And you, Smokepaw?"

I shared a glance with Hazepaw. He shrugged and gave a nod, so I told him about our Swiftpaw theory, and what had happened a quarter moon ago, when we had tried to meet, and Silverpaw and Swiftpaw showed up. I didn't mention what my cousin had said about "something she thought we could know."

"On a...more present note, Shadepaw, do you think your powers could give us an advantage against the leaders? Because the sun just set."

I looked up, and Hazepaw was right. Night was approaching rapidly now that the sun was gone.

"Uh, yes, definitely," Shadepaw mewed, his voice full of nervous anticipation, "why wouldn't it?"

Suddenly, there were four unanimous, blood-curdling screeches that seemed to come from the island. I heard a faint splash in the lake, and saw Cherrystar's distant form swimming for WindClan's shore, while Meadowstar, Aspenstar, and Brackenstar used the tree bridge.

"And so it begins," I cackled, while Hazepaw and Shadepaw gave me odd, startled looks, "remember the goal: find Ravenpaw. And only separate if we have to."

They both nodded, and then there was a deathly silence.

I kept my eyes on the tree bridge where the leaders had finished crossing, and then spat a curse.

"Mouse-dung, Brackenstar's heading this way! And we're in a _tree_. We need to get out of here _now."_

Hazepaw took control. "We should split, just this once. Meet behind the Tall Boulder in WindClan's camp. I've seen Cherrystar run before, and she isn't fast. Just get out of RiverClan's territory. Shadepaw, use your powers and I doubt he'll find you."

We scrambled down the tree, careful to make as little noise as possible. Shadepaw almost immediately blended into the shadows, so I lost sight of him, and _Hazepaw_ ran for the _stream_?

"It'll hide my scent," he hissed, but he didn't look very happy about it.

I shrugged, bid a short farewell, and weaved my way through the reeds toward WindClan, keeping my jaws parted in case I caught a trace of Brackenstar's scent.

I cut through Horseplace to get to WindClan; I'd rather smell terrible than be soaking wet and freezing in the middle of the night. There were a few of the horses grazing in the fields. While most of my clanmates were scared and often wary around them, I was actually quite fascinated with them. Why did they have hooves instead of paws? Why did they only eat plants? Unless I learned how to speak horse, I guessed I would never know.

I did know, though, that getting trampled by one of them would be _bad,_ so I made sure to steer clear of their hooves as I trotted by. I hoped Brackenstar hadn't seen me leaving, because I would never be able to smell him through all of this terrible horse-scent.

Evading the last of the horses, I slipped underneath the white fence and sprinted across the moor.

I actually liked running even though I wasn't good at it. It was peaceful. Staring at the open sky, I could understand how one could like living out on the moor, but I still loved the trees.

Instinctively, my head angled towards ThunderClan's territory, and a slight bit of longing stirred in my chest. I pushed it away, however; right now, it'd be a bad idea to go there. I wondered if Heartpaw was okay.

Sighing, I pushed that thought out of my head, too, slowed a bit, and continued to run across the moor to WindClan's camp.

* * *

I crouched in the shadow of the TallRock with Hazepaw. Shadepaw should have been here by now, with his powers and all, but we doubted he had been caught.

"Maybe he had to rest for a bit," Hazepaw suggested, "Using my powers kind of drains me a bit, maybe he needs to take a break."

"No, I'm right behind you," Shadepaw's voice came from behind, and we both turned towards the noise.

"How long were you there?" I demanded.

He shrugged, stepping out of the shadow he was hiding in. It was as if someone had drowned him in darkness, and as soon as he stepped into the light it melted off of him. "Not long," he mewed, "I only got here moments ago."

"Oh. Well, uh, where do you think we should go? We can't stay here. It's too... open," I mewed.

"What's so bad about being open?" Hazepaw asked, his eyes shining, "Maybe we _should_ stay. It's the exact opposite of what the leaders would think. What _anyone_ would think, actually. Maybe Ravenpaw is _here_!"

"While being open is _so_ great," I muttered, my voice dripping with sarcasm, "You've overlooked one thing. Meadowstar said that Ravenpaw would be in either _ThunderClan_ or _ShadowClan_ territory. So she's not here."

"True," Shadepaw added, "but for the time being, Hazepaw's right. We should stay where no one thinks we would be. Besides, my powers _do_ drain me, so I actually do need a rest before we go anywhere else."

"Fine," I spat, "But if we catch any trace of Cherrystar, we run. End of conversation."

They shot each other an amused glance. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," Shadepaw said.

"It's just... you think _you're_ the leader here, Smokepaw," Hazepaw grinned, "But we never agreed on that."

"Well, it's not _my_ fault neither of you challenged me."

"If they won't do it, I will!"

All of our heads swiveled towards the new voice.

"Mothkit," Hazepaw hissed, "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"Uh, _no,_ Hazepaw," she scoffed, "I only have another quarter moon until I'm an apprentice like _you_. Mother says I can stay up as late as I want to as long as I don't leave camp. When you were my age you were even allowed to _leave!_ And you're only a moon older than me."

" _Okay,_ " Shadepaw muttered, "We get it. You're allowed to be up, whatever. Sure. Do that. But leave us alone, okay? We're playing a game, and we can't have you revealing where we are."

She crept behind the boulder and sat down. "You can't tell me what to do, you fishy RiverClan cat," she purred, shooting him a smirk.

The she-cat was a bit smaller than Shadepaw, with a golden-brown spotted and striped pelt. Her bright yellow eyes brimmed with curiosity as she stared at him.

"I can do as I please, thank you very much," he laughed, "At least I'm not a kit like you."

"Again," she snapped, "I'm only a moon younger than Hazepaw, so I'm probably not that much younger than _you._ Besides, _I_ couldn't control how soon I was born. Who knows? If StarClan had felt like it, we could be the same age. They just chose to make me younger because they know the youthful aren't as _grumpy_ as _you._ So beat _that._ "

"I-" Shadepaw tried to fire back, but I guess something stopped him. His fur ruffled and he gave his chest a few licks in embarrassment. He looked like he wanted to melt into a shadow at the moment, and it even looked like he tried to, but to no avail.

"What? How come my powers aren't working?" He murmured, so quietly I barely heard him, but Mothkit did, too.

"Because I snuffed them out," she mewed simply, looking quite smug with herself. I swear, my eyes almost fell out of my skull. First Hazepaw, then Shadepaw, now _her?_

" _Huh?!_ Oh... _no._ Great StarClan, no! Not _you._ I barely even know you and now I find out that you have powers and yours can nullify mine? What _are_ you, some sort of monster?! _"_

 _"No,_ I'm 'One of _Light,'_ silly. Why do you think I was able to stop you from hiding or whatever?"

"Uhh...I...don't know, actually," Shadepaw said, still looking annoyed, but with his curiosity piqued.

"I'm your opposite. _Duh._ And opposites attract. That's how I found the three of you. I didn't overhear you-believe me, you were quiet-I followed his pull,"She nodded at Shadepaw, "By the way, you never told me your name..."

"Shadepaw."

She attempted to stifle a snort and failed.

"What is it _now_?"

"It's just...it's so _fitting."_

Hazepaw and Shadepaw gave me perplexed glances. I guess Mothkit was right...'Shade' and 'Darkness' _did_ fit together.

Shadepaw turned back to her, blinking. "I...never realized that."

"Of course you didn't," she muttered, ears drooping. I wondered what had caused her mood to damped so quickly, but then I saw the smile tugging at Shadepaw's features. It was the first time I had seen something genuine on his face. " _Stop,_ me my light back."

Shadepaw's smile faded, and he seemed to slump a bit, while the brightness in Mothkit's eyes returned. "Thank you," she sighed cheerily. Shadepaw shot her a glare. All I could do was share another puzzled look with Hazepaw.

Mothkit's ears suddenly shot up. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Hazepaw asked.

"That thump."

"What... thump?" I mewed.

"The one just outside of camp."

"Oh, no..." Shadepaw groaned, "its-"

A playful, monstrous screech filled the air. I winced.

"Cherrystar's arrived," I hissed, "We need to get out of here. _Again."_

 _"_ But we're trapped behind TallRock," Hazepaw mewed, his voice filling with panic.

"You guys need to go somewhere? Can I come?"

" _No."_ We all said in unison.

"If I can help you will you let me come?" Mothkit, chirped, her voice sly.

"Help? What kind of help?" Shadepaw asked frantically. We only had a few moments before Cherrystar found us.

"Help that will help you get out of here," she mewed, her tone suddenly serious. The light in her eyes had faded again, and Shadepaw seemed somewhat deflated. Not _again._

" _Please,_ Shadepaw? If you don't let me come, you won't get help. And if you won't get help, you'll lose the game."

I didn't want to lose, but what if we were punished for letting her tag along? Losing versus punishment... I decided to take the latter, but in a way it was ultimately up to Shadepaw since Mothkit seemed to have taken possession of his darkness or whatever.

"Mothkit, it could be dangerou-" he clenched his teeth, letting out a grunt of pain, while Mothkit's eyes began to turn amber. "Okay, okay, you can _come,"_ he spat.

"Promise?" At the moment, I was honestly scared. Her voice came out dark and velvety and held none of the cheerfulness it had before.

"I...promise," Shadepaw grunted.

I felt dry heat blast me in the side. Hazepaw's fur was glowing, his teeth bared. His eyes held a dangerous look. Mothkit must have noticed too, because her hold on Shadepaw's darkness slipped immediately, and she cowered against the boulder.

"I don't know what you did to Shadepaw," Hazepaw snarled, "but _you promise me_ you'll never do it again or I'll blast you until you're nothing but a _pile of ash_."

"Hazepaw," I said, " _Hazepaw!"_ He turned his gaze towards me, the savage look fading a bit. "Stop. She's still a kit, you can't hurt her!"

He narrowed his eyes and turned back to Mothkit. " _Promise me,"_ he spat.

Mothkit was trembling. "I-I promise..."

The look disappeared from his eyes, and his fur stopped glowing. "Good. Now help us like you said you would."

Mothkit gave him a firm nod. "On my signal, head for ThunderClan's territory. Don't stop. I'll find you," she said, strength flooding back into her voice, her eyes flitting to Shadepaw. Then she stepped out of the shadow of TallRock with the moonlight illuminating her pelt, and vanished into thin air.

We got lucky, very lucky. Cherrystar had just come back from checking the burrows, when Mothkit appeared beside her, in all of her kit fluff glory.

"Are you Cherrystar? _The_ Cherrystar? My clanmates talk about you all the time! I swore to myself the first time I saw you I would _run_ to you, and see if all of the rumors were true..."

At the word 'run' her tail lashed rapidly. I took it that was the signal, and we sprinted from behind TallRock, out of camp, and out onto the moor.

Cherrystar let out a started hiss and began to chase after us, but she was no match for the pestering powers of Mothkit. She was soon drowned in the squeals of the unfortunately very helpful kit, or near-apprentice, that would be joining us later.

I leaped across the stream that separated our territories, Shadepaw dipped in and out, and Hazepaw waded through at a slower pace.

"Okay, Smokepaw, this is your turf," Hazepaw panted, "where are we headed?"

I ran a list of landmarks through my head. Sky Oak? No, too obvious. Mossy Hollow, too.

What about the twoleg nest...?

"There's an old twoleg nest not too far from here. Follow me."

I felt the burning in my legs as soon as we began to ascend the tree-covered hill that would get us to the nest, but I ignored it. Mothkit had told us not to stop running, so I wasn't going to. By the time we reached the top, they were throbbing. We crossed over the old Thunderpath, and I flopped in a pile of leaves just outside the entrance, chest heaving. Shadepaw and Hazepaw staggered and tumbled in beside me.

But I couldn't rest for long because now _Hazepaw_ had some explaining to do.

Once I caught my breath, I turned on him. "What was that? Why would you threaten a _kit_?"

He didn't meet my gaze, but his expression held no remorse. "She was hurting Shadepaw. I couldn't just do _nothing._ Do you honestly think I would hurt a kit?"

At his name, Shadepaw looked up. But once he realized what we were talking about, he focused his attention on the shadows dancing across the broken wood of the nest.

I thought about Hazepaw's statement. "No, but in that moment you sure did look like you would."

"I had to play the part." His voice softened. "And I'm sorry if I burned you, but did you see what happened?"

I gulped. "Shadepaw... what did she do to you?"

He flinched, and didn't answer. I didn't want to pry it out of him, so gave him an understanding nod. He blinked in appreciation, then rested his head on his paws, closing his eyes.

Since Mothkit went psycho, I noticed, he hadn't spoken. But when his breathing slowed and he began to purr- _Shadepaw, purring-_ I figured he had just been in shock. Whatever that kit did, it couldn't have been very pleasant for him.

I set my sights to the sky. I was surprised that the moon wasn't even close to its peak, maybe a little bit of a ways past a fourth of the way there.

Shadepaw's purring stopped abruptly and he sat up, his pale green eyes snapping open. "Mothkit's coming," he whispered softly, "I can sense it."

Sure enough, moments later said she-cat came crashing through the bushes, small clumps of kit fluff missing with branches and leaves sticking out of her fur. "Stupid ThunderClan cats and their stupid territory," she muttered, picking the items she had acquired along the way out of her spotted pelt, "No offense to you, Smokepaw."

"I never told you my name," I said.

"Oh, I know. Icepaw told me about the gathering and mentioned you. He describes you as self-centered, fluffy, gray and kind of annoying, so I knew it was you as soon as I saw you."

 _Me? Annoying?_ Aside from Heartpaw, no one had ever called me annoying. I wouldn't consider myself annoying; maybe irritatingly wonderful, but not _annoying._

Oh, who cared? I had other issues.

"Don't forget your promise," Hazepaw said darkly.

At that, Mothkit's eyes widened in fear, if only for a split second. I shot him a warning glance.

"Okay, now that I think we're finally in a safe place, we need to focus on finding Ravenpaw."

"I agree," Shadepaw said in a drowsy voice behind me, and I made a split second decision.

"You're staying here," I mewed firmly.

He began to stand up protest, but stumbled and collapsed back into the leaves. "On second thought...I'll stay. You're right for once, Smokepaw."

Hazepaw shot a withering glare at Mothkit. "This is your fault. He wouldn't be as weak if you hadn't-"

" _Hazepaw,"_ I snarled, "enough."

"You're not the boss of me, Smokepaw," he spat, fur sparking.

"No, but I seem to be the only one with enough sense to know that bickering and holding grudges isn't going to get us anywhere."

Hazepaw opened his jaws to speak again, then paused, let out a sigh, and hung his head. "You're right," he muttered.

"It's okay. Now, Meadowstar said Ravenpaw would be hiding in either ThunderClan or ShadowClan with goldenrod, right? Well-"

"You guys must be stupider than I thought," Mothkit laughed, her eyes still not as bright as they should have been. "You're in ThunderClan territory. Take a deep whiff. Come on, I dare you."

I gave her an odd look. But parted my jaws anyway, and almost choked on the overwhelming scent.

"Goldenrod."

"Correct," she mewed, "now go find Ravenpaw. I'll stay here with him."

* * *

Ravenpaw happened to be fast asleep in the rotting rafters of the nest, the goldenrod clutched tightly in her jaws, her lithe tan and black form rising and falling peacefully. She happened to be the one cousin(yes another cousin, I know, but I only had four)who I didn't get along with, so I jabbed her sharply in the side with my paw. She spat the goldenrod out of her mouth and then spat at me.

"Took you long enough, Smokepaw," she muttered, "I finally get to go home now. Take the goldenrod."

She gave me a blue-eyed glare over her shoulder, then carefully picked her way down the wooden planks until the last part I saw of her was her black tail, whisking out of the nest.

"Isn't she supposed to be a kind-hearted, sweet, loving medicine cat?" Hazepaw mewed, brow furrowed.

"She is, to everyone except for me."

"Why?"

I shrugged. "We're kin. I guess she just likes being mean to me."

"Well, you did poke her rather sharply..." He said.

"It was payback. And I didn't want to shake her awake. That would have been worse."

"Oh, I don't really care," Hazepaw muttered, scooping up the goldenrod in his jaws, and bounding back down the way we'd come from. I followed.

We came back to see Mothkit sitting up, eyes alert(bright again) and fixed attentively on Shadepaw, who was purring louder than before.

Upon seeing us, she waved her tail in acknowledgement. "It's odd," she murmured, "his energy seems to be... not dormant, exactly. I think by... my hurting him, I gave back too much energy at once and now it needs time to readjust." She gave us an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry for what I did," she muttered, remorse clouding her gaze. "I didn't even know I could _do_ that, it just came naturally sort of-"

I rested my tail on her back. "It's okay. You're still young, we all are, and you don't even know why you have the powers that you do. We'll figure this out."

She turned her golden gaze back to Shadepaw. "If you can hear me, I'm super sorry... I hope you can forgive me, Shadepaw."

She stretched a paw out and laid it on his shoulder. "I promise, I'll never, ever hurt you again..."

He stirred slightly, and a green eye made itself visible from underneath his eyelid. "I guess I could forgive you," he mewed, pulling himself into a sitting position, his glossy dark grey fur rippling with the movement.

Mothkit let out a tiny squeal. "You could?"

"Sure."

She gasped, running up to him and pressing her head into his chest, finally acting like the kit she still was. He almost smiled. _Almost._

"Uh, I hate to spoil the mood," Hazepaw said, his tone growing panicked, "but we need to leave again, because Meadowstar's heading this way. And this time, she's got a friend with her, also known as the leader of WindClan and the fastest cat I know..."

"Aspenstar. Mothkit, you need to go to ShadowClan's territory before she spots you or you're in trouble. Go, I'll lead them to you," Shadepaw hissed, touching his nose to hers.

"See you there, then," she chirped, and then vanished again.

"Well," I muttered, "Let's start running. And don't forget the goldenrod."

* * *

By the time we reached the halfway mark to ShadowClan, I almost tripped over my paws in realization.

 _They_ were trapping _us,_ instead of vice versa.

Meadowstar had to be deadly in her home turf, with her mostly black pelt and seasons of training. Plus with Aspenstar, there was little chance we would win this game. We had what we needed to win, but they had the upper hand.

Gah, why was this game so _complicated?_

I continued running, crossing the old thunderpath that separated my territory from Meadowstar's. As we got deeper into the territory, the ground became less firm, and soon instead of running I was squelching my way through mud. If that wasn't going to give away our location then I didn't know what was.

"Smokepaw, I'm going to go find Mothkit. I'll meet you back here," Shadepaw whispered, then trotted away. Hazepaw went with him.

I blinked hard, trying to adjust my eyes further to the growing darkness thanks to the pines. I adjusted to late, however, since I slammed into a silky mass of ginger fur. Again.

Her luminous harlequin green eyes displayed alarm. "Smokepaw, is that you?"

"The one and only," I replied.

She narrowed her eyes and hopped off of me. "I'm surprised you're still in the game."

"As am I, Heartpaw. But I foun-" I stopped. Why should I tell her if she wasn't on my team?

But she had already figured it out. "You found Ravenpaw? Where's the goldenrod?"

"Hey Heartpaw, should we go now?" A small voice said from a few paces behind her. She seemed to panic a bit, turning around sharply. " _Otterkit,_ I thought I told you to hide!"

"I don't want to hide. I already told you."

She turned back to me, just as Shadepaw and Hazepaw returned, Mothkit at the former's side.

"Sorry, um...I went to hide in RiverClan's camp with a few of my teammates, and she decided to tag along. Then Brackenstar showed up, and I had no choice but to run with her. Amberpaw, Badgerpaw, Bramblepaw and I are the only ones from my team that haven't been captured," Heartpaw sighed.

I almost laughed at the irony, telling her pretty much the same thing about Mothkit, without the light/darkness drama. And then I remembered the Meadowstar-Aspenstar issue, and quickly relayed that to her.

"Uh, Smokepaw, I hate to interrupt, but I think they're coming," Shadepaw mewed, his voice still slightly off, even though he had rested for a while.

He was right, unfortunately. There was more squelching, approaching at a rapid pace.

"Quick," Heartpaw hissed, "Let's go to ShadowClan's camp, that way we can cover them in goldenrod, first."

"I hate the fact that you have a good idea for once," I muttered, and we began running.

And then I realized we had no idea where the camp was, communicating that one, simple, annoying piece of information to them. We stopped in our tracks, feeling hopeless, the squelching behind us growing louder and louder until-

"Let me guess, cuz... you thought we were Meadowstar and Aspenstar, so you were going to go to ShadowClan's camp, then realized that none of you know where their camp is?"

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank StarClan, it's you, Silverpaw... but how did you know?"

"There's something called _eavesdropping,_ Smokepaw. Then a few ShadowClan cats and a RiverClan kit I picked up along the way decided it'd be fun to scare the living daylights out of you." she quipped.

"Troutkit? Why are _you_ here?" Otterkit gasped from behind Heartpaw, "Aren't you supposed to be back at camp?"

"I should ask the same thing, Otterkit." Troutkit mewed, his voice void of emotion. I noted that there was a fresh scar across his face. What could that be from?

Otterkit almost lunged at him, but Silverpaw stepped in the way. "Knock it off, Otterkit. All he did was respond, you don't need to get worked up about it." The kit let out a small growl, but lashed her tail and stalked back to Heartpaw.

"Wait, didn't you say you had ShadowClan cats with you?" Heartpaw mewed.

"Who says they'll help you find their camp? They're on _my_ team," Silverpaw replied.

"Not all of them," I said, nodding to Cloudpaw, who just so happened to be on my team, "besides Silvy, stop acting as if you have more than only _two_ ShadowClanners with you."

Cloudpaw gave me a nervous smile. "Uh, you _do_ want to get there before Meadowstar and Aspenstar do, don't you?"

"Yeah," Silverpaw and I chorused.

The small grey and white cat perked up. "Then follow me."

The group of us obliged, while Bearpaw(who had been with Silverpaw) trotted up to Cloudpaw's side.

She led us through a twisting, turning, winding collection of paths. I got the feeling that getting to their camp was probably simpler, but she didn't want us to remember how to get there. I gave her a mental nod of approval, knowing that I would have done the same thing had I been in her position.

The entrance to their camp was similar to our own, which was a thorn tunnel leading into the camp. The only difference was that you also had to squeeze past a large boulder to get in, so only one cat could enter at a time. And with the... eleven of us(I forgot to mention Wildpaw), it took a little while.

Their camp was a bit less threatening than their actual territory in the dark. It was protected by brambles(like our camp), and it was surrounded by trees, some which and lower hanging branches which would probably give them a good vantage point over attackers. Five bramble thickets circled the camp, which I guess were the dens. Over one of them hung a larger branch.

Once, I thought I saw something in the trees, just a shadow. But I shook off the feeling immediately.

 _Don't be silly, Smokepaw, there's no one watching you._

I jumped when there was movement behind me, unsheathing my claws, and a few cats filed out of one of the dens. I recognized Sootpaw, Bramblepaw, and Swiftpaw, sheathing my claws again, but not the other two. I guessed that they were Heartpaw's last remaining teammates, Amberpaw and Badgerpaw, since they had been with Bramblepaw, who she also mentioned was her teammate.

But I still couldn't shake the feeling...

"I guess great minds think alike, huh, Silverpaw? Now you've led them to us, and we're all going to _lose,"_ Sootpaw muttered drily.

Hazepaw stepped in. "Not with this goldenrod, we won't. And team one found it, so don't try to steal credit."

Swiftpaw raised a paw. "Wait, hold up. Why do you guys have three _kits_ with you?"

"Long story," I mewed, while Heartpaw and Wildpaw said similar lines. Again, my eyes flitted to the trees, upon thinking I saw movement, but there was nothing.

"Don't worry," Mothkit said, "we'll get in trouble, not you. Oh, and Meadowstar, Aspenstar, and Cherrystar are coming, by the way."

Her reward was a collective groan from the cats that were with Sootpaw.

"Speaking of them, does anyone know where Brackenstar was last spotted?" Cloudpaw asked.

"Yeah," the cat which I guessed was Amberpaw muttered, "In his home territory. We barely escaped. But we ditched him in the mud, so he should be here soon, too." Her dark amber eyes held annoyance, and I was betting she just wanted this game to be over. A small part of me agreed with her. I couldn't wait to go home and curl up in my nest.

With that single thought, the wonderful, terrible idea came back, and I pushed it away immediately.

"Smokepaw, look out!"

I heard Hazepaw's voice a moment too late, and soon there was a crushing weight on my back, along with a sharp bite to my neck.

"Is that Brackenstar?" I heard Cloudpaw ask, hesitantly.

"I-I don't think so," Heartpaw's voice drifted to me as well, but with a twinge of fear.

 _Huh?_ If this wasn't Brackenstar, then...

I pushed myself up, throwing off my attacker. Whirling around, I blinked in confusion, since the cat looked just like my leader, with the golden tabby pelt and white markings, but then they opened their eyes, and I realized they were amber, not blue. As they stood up I realized they were smaller and their form was lithe, too.

I realized that my attacker had been a she-cat, one that I definitely didn't recognize. And she didn't smell like a Clan cat. At all.

"Who are you?" I spat, muscles tense, ready to fight if I needed to.

But Otterkit beat me to it. She ran up and pounced on the foreign cat's shoulders, snarling. The she-cat showed no surprise, however, simply shrugging her off and shoving her back to Heartpaw. The kit didn't try to attack again.

"One of Fight, I presume? He warned me of you."

Otterkit let out a hiss, while the mysterious she-cat chuckled. "Yes, definitely."

I blinked in shock. _One of fight?_ That sounded like one of the labels Shadepaw and Hazepaw had gotten.

The newcomer stretched, looking almost _lazy,_ even though she was on hostile territory. "The stars were right, I knew I'd find you all here. I don't know how we struck so... lucky." Then she raised her voice. " _Attack!"_

I knew I hadn't been crazy when I thought there had been something in the trees, because there had been. Suddenly, a little over a dozen cats fell from the trees, some on the backs of my friends, and some on the ground. I lunged for the she-cat.

Within moments, ShadowClan's camp had gone from peaceful to flat out chaos. Grappling with the she-cat, I realized that there still had to be some ShadowClan cats sleeping in the dens. They must have been pretty deep in their dreams, since not one poked their heads out to see what the noise was about.

"Oh, don't worry about them," the she-cat hissed, pinning me down,"We gave them all a few poppy seeds before you got here. They'll wake up tomorrow and think nothing happened."

I struggled against her, biting down on her leg.

"You're a good fighter, Smokepaw," She growled, spitting a curse, leaping off of me, which gave me the opportunity to land a flurry of blows on her shoulders and flanks(I wondered how she knew my name, but then I realized Hazepaw had shouted it before she landed on me). She dodged the last few, however, causing me to lose my balance and fall flat on my stomach. I winced when she placed her paws on my back.

"But alas, you're still young and inexperienced, which is why you're not going to be able to beat me."

Spitting out blood from a scratch to my lip, I growled. "Why are you here?"

My pelt stung with what seemed like thousands of scratches. I was sure there was a gash on my left flank, and a cut on my forehead was causing blood to run into my eyes. I hated to admit it, but I was already tired.

She let out a laugh. "To right some wrongs," was all she said. " _Talon!"_

She stepped off of me, and for a moment I wondered why. Then there was a sharp blow to my head, and I was overcome with the feeling of presyncope.

I barely felt myself being rolled onto said flank with the gash in it, barely felt my limbs being firmly pinned down.

But in a split second, I did feel pain.

I felt the slicing of my flesh in my right forepaw.

 _Over, and over, and over again._

I was sure the entire forest heard my screeches, my cries of agony. I felt the slicing over and over, back and forth, until I was sure my bones and tendons were about to be severed, and my paw would just fall off.

But then it stopped.

And within moments, my vision was dark, and a thick, onyx cloud of nothingness descended on me.

* * *

 _I opened my eyes, though it seemed like I didn't since everything was black. Then I realized there_ was _lighting._

 _A bloodred haze, washed over everything. I'm sure if I dared to look up, I would have seen nothing._

 _I grunted, pushing myself to my paws. Surprisingly, I still had all four, and, looking at my right forepaw, all were perfect. None were injured._

 _"Hello, Smokepaw."_

 _I whirled around, snarling, and lunged for the point of sound. I landed on nothing._

 _"What did you do to me?!"_

 _The voice appeared behind me again. "Like my colleague said, we came to right some wrongs. And so we did."_

 _Instead of turning around, I stood my ground. "Who are you?"_

 _The voice, seeming male, laughed. "You know my name."_

I did? _I ran a mental list of all the names I knew, but none matched up with the voice._

 _"Not your_ clanmates, _you fool! Think... recent. Moments ago recent."_

 _Oh. "You're Talon, aren't you?"_

 _"I seem to remember you saying, 'the one and only.' So yes, yes I am."_

 _"Well, what are you? Good? Evil?"_

 _Talon didn't appear to be... hostile, so I relaxed a bit. Sure I was scared out of my mind, but I didn't need to show that._

 _There was a frown in his voice. "That would be a matter of opinion, my friend."_

 _"You dare to call me a friend when you won't even show me your face?"_

 _He let out a sigh, and soon I was facing a greyish-brown spotted cat, with markings similar to Mothkit's. What was startling though, was that his eyes were a metallic shade of silver. Kind of similar to Silverpaw's silver-blue violet, or Sootpaw's less noticable silver-green-blue._

 _"What in the name of StarClan?" I mewed._

 _"You'll find yourself saying that a lot," he sighed again._

 _I stepped back. "You mean that you know what StarClan is?"_

 _He rolled his eyes. "Of course I do."_

 _"How?"_

 _He ignored my question. "Look, Smokepaw... I'm sorry."_

 _"For what?"_

 _He simply regarded me with a look of pity, then opened his jaws to speak._

 _My mouth went dry at the words he spoke._

 _ **"One of Darkness, One of Light,**_

 _ **One of Love, and One of Fight.**_

 _ **One of Shadows, one of Stars,**_

 _ **One of Pain and one of Scars.**_

 _ **Four cats have the strength of eight,**_

 _ **Two will follow the Path of Hate,**_

 _ **The other within the Sky's Gate,**_

 _ **The last one In-Between."**_

 _One of Darkness, and one of Light, that was Shadepaw and Mothkit. The she-cat had said something about Otterkit being one of Fight, and of course Hazepaw was one of stars..._

 _"That she-cat said something about finding us all in ShadowClan's camp," I muttered, slowly beginning to connect the dots, "Everyone in that camp...we're all part of this prophecy, aren't we? But-but we haven't had a prophecy in_ seasons. _Not even a small one. Wait, what part do I have in the prophecy?"_

 _Talon, again, watched me with a sad look, as if he knew my destiny. "This is only a fragment of the full prophecy," he mewed, his voice grave, "Only one cat knows it, and that cat isn't me. Smokepaw, I know you barely know this cat yet, and I can't tell you who she is, but I need you to figure it out, and protect her at all costs. You and the rest of your friends in this prophecy will face many obstacles to achieve your final goal, whatever it may be."_

 _He began to fade, and left me with one parting sentence: "Trust no one, and trust everyone."_

* * *

 _Instead of finding myself back in ShadowClan's camp, I instead found myself standing on top of a hill, alone. In front of me was a vast scape of land, full of rolling hills and forest and marsh. Cutting across the valley was a giant, rushing, river. Suddenly I was looking into the river, and instead of my own reflection-a fluffy, light gray tom with bright mischievous dark blue eyes- I instead faced something that could have scared the soul out of my body._

 _I was split in half._

 _One half of me looked like my normal self, except older, and with lighter fur and eyes. That was fine._

 _But the other half..._

 _My fur grew three times as dark, until my fur was almost as dark as Shadepaw's. It also grew twice as long, matted and spiky. Everywhere I looked there were scars. Some were faint, really faint, and some recent, but they were there. A chunk of fur on my shoulder, one layer out of two, was missing... burnt and black and steaming. But what scared me the most were the eyes._ My _eyes. In some places they were red, and in others a brilliant silver, like Talon's. It was as if someone had chipped pieces of them away and under laid a silver layer._

 _Suddenly, my right forepaw began throbbing. Painfully. I let out a cry of pain and crumpled beside the river, fading into unconsciousness- or was it consciousness? I didn't know._

 _But I knew what part I played in the prophecy._

* * *

I was back in ShadowClan's camp, and my paw was still throbbing.

The invaders were gone, and the leaders still didn't seem to have arrived. I was lying on the cold, hard, ground, circled by the cats who had been in the camp before the attack-

Shadepaw, Mothkit, Heartpaw, Otterkit, Amberpaw, Hazepaw, Silverpaw, Sootpaw, Bearpaw, Cloudpaw, Bramblepaw, Badgerpaw, Troutkit, Swiftpaw, and Wildpaw.

Dear StarClan, that was a lot of cats involved in _one_ prophecy-fifteen, to be exact. I happened to be the sixteenth.

All of them looked concerned, though. I pushed myself into a sitting position. "I-I'm okay. What happened?"

"Smokepaw, you are most definitely not _oka-_ " Heartpaw began, but Silverpaw cut her off, resting a paw on top of hers.

"After they knocked you out, that she-cat ordered them to stop fighting, and they left without a trace. Once they cleared, we noticed you, and all rushed to you. At first-at first we thought you were dead, but then we realized there wasn't nearly enough blood covering you for that to be a possibility. Your paw, however... well, Sootpaw numbed the pain, but it won't stay that way for long."

How did Sootpaw-nevermind. I'd ask him later. "Thank you, Silvy," I mewed, then took a deep breath. "I have some... interesting things to tell you."

They listened intently as I told them about the vision I had, about Talon and the prophecy, and how all of us were a part of it. I left out Talon's warning about trust, and the second vision... but all of them looked bothered enough from what I had told them.

Silverpaw let out a shuddering breath. "I think... if any of us know what part we are in the prophecy, we should gather around Smokepaw."

At first, she was the only one to step forward. Then anger flashed in her eyes, and I noticed that a few of them were grimacing in pain. Silverpaw herself looked taken aback, but then spoke. "Look guys, we all know that we're part of a prophecy, so there's really no reason to hide anything. We have to _trust_ each other from now on."

 _Trust no one, and Trust everyone._

"Silverpaw's right," I croaked, my voice still weak, "We're part of something big. We may not know what, but if we keep secrets from each other, we'll accomplish nothing."

Shadepaw muttered something, then trotted to my side, Mothkit trailing him as if she were his shadow. Hazepaw followed.

Slowly but surely, more of them began to gather in a clump around me. Among them were Otterkit, Amberpaw, Silverpaw, Sootpaw, Bearpaw, and Troutkit. Including myself, a little over half of us knew what part we were. Somehow I couldn't figure out if that was a good or bad thing.

I spoke up. "I... I think that there's so much going on right now. I would say we could meet in another half moon, but a large group of us all disappearing at one gathering? That's too suspicious. So I say we give it another moon. If your, um... _powers_ haven't been revealed by then, it's fine. We can meet on the island in exactly one moon, at moonhigh. And if my self-appointing as leader bothers you, then can we talk about it then?" I mewed sharply, giving a pointed glance to Troutkit, who was glaring at me.

Suddenly the throbbing in my paw grew stronger, until I was reduced to a whimpering heap of fur on the ground. I resisted the urge to faint again, the voices of my friends fading in and out until the pain subsided and everything was clear again. I looked up, meeting the eyes of my cousin. "Thank you," I whispered, and he gave me a sympathetic smile.

"Um, I think that, since it's a little while past moonhigh, we should just go home? There's no point in going to the island, especially with Smokepaw's, uh, condition. And, speaking of, don't tell anyone about what happened. It'll cause unnecessary drama, what with the issue that there hasn't been a prophecy in seasons," Hazepaw said.

There were a few murmurs of agreement, but other than that, there was silence.

"O-okay," I mewed shakily, "May StarClan light your path. And remember: we need to trust each other."

 _Trust no one, and Trust everyone._

* * *

Sootpaw and Silverpaw supported me as I limped back to camp. (ThunderClan's, not ShadowClan's.)

I decided that I would have Ravenpaw treat my paw, since I needed to learn to get along with her, anyways, and she was less likely to tell anyone about what had happened. While she was annoying, she wasn't foolish.

Heartpaw and Bramblepaw went in through the thorn tunnel. They were going to tell the clan a cover story while the three of us snuck in through the ( _blech)_ dirtplace tunnel. We would have taken the secret entrance, but unfortunately that wasn't an option thanks to my StarClan forsaken paw.

We made a beeline to the medicine cat's den, where I leaned against the stone wall while Silverpaw shook Ravenpaw awake and told her what had happened. Quickly and quietly Ravenpaw slipped into a narrow crack in the wall, and reappeared with a stack of leaves in her jaws.

She chewed a few of them into a pulp, then slathered the poultice onto my leg. "Want to know something ironic?"

I grunted, gritting my teeth.

"This is a goldenrod poultice."

I would have laughed.

She finished, wrapping my paw in dock leaves and cobwebs. "Go to the apprentice's den. I'll ask Brackenstar to excuse you from duties for a quarter moon." When I began to protest, she shot me a glare. "Don't worry about me revealing anything. You were just across the four territories, right? I'll say you sprained your paw or something."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Come back to me at sunhigh so I can change your wrap, okay? Now go."

Sootpaw helped me to the den, then went to curl up in his nest. Soon, he and Silverpaw were asleep.

I wasn't the only one who was restless.

Heartpaw was sitting up in her nest, her tail twitching. From where I was lying I could see her green eyes flitting back and forth.

The terrifyingly wonderful idea was back, and this time I didn't shove it away.

I limped up to her nest. "Are you okay?" I whispered.

She looked up at me, luminous eyes watery. "I thought you were _dead,_ Smokepaw."

I curled up beside her, treating my injured leg tenderly.

"I'm okay now," I murmured.

She buried her face in my fur. I could feel her tears soaking it, but I didn't care. "Don't scare me like that, Smokepaw," she sobbed, "You can do whatever you want, you just can't _scare_ me like that."

I didn't know why she made me feel like I was everything and nothing, but that was okay. As long as she was okay, then that was fine. If I was dead it still wouldn't matter. As long as she was okay.

I rested my muzzle on her head, sending a purr through my body in an effort to quiet her sobs. Sure, she was annoying in every way, but her being sad was the worst curse you could cast upon me.

"I won't scare you like that ever again," I whispered, once her cries morphed into purrs and she was sound asleep, "I promise I won't."

* * *

 **Well... a _lot_ happened in this chapter. A lot. Poor Bearpaw only got 4,000 words. **

**Shadepaw and Mothkit are going to be very interesting to write about. Oh, and I've introduced all of the POVs I needed to for this book, so just to avoid confusion the narrators are going to be Hazepaw, Silverpaw, Swiftpaw, Amberpaw, Troutkit, Bearpaw, and Smokepaw.**

 **I know, so many names, but It'll get less confusing, I promise.**

* * *

 **QOTD:** **What do you think of Talon? Any predictions?**

* * *

 **Peace out kitties,**

 **~SK(MW)**


	6. The Origins of Hatred

**Soo, its been a while. Like um, geez. Over a year. But hey! I'm not dead. I can't promise that my updates will be consistent, because life is life, but until further notice, I'm not giving up on this story. It's more of a side project for me at the moment. That being said, my chapters are going to be quite short(between 1k and 5k words) so I'm able to update more frequently than, well...year-long intervals, haha. But anyways, enjoy! **

* * *

_**Troutpaw**_

Not a quarter moon had passed since the Daylight Gathering.

Not two had passed since the incident.

Sprawled out on an outcrop of stones on the edge of RiverClan's camp, I let the fading warmth from the leaf-fall sun's rays seep into my skin. The scar on my face was completely healed over now-my father's claws had just barely missed my right eye.

Sunning herself besides me, Otterpaw opened a golden-amber eye, a smirk donning her features.

"What are you laughing at _now_?" I hissed.

She, at least, was a decent companion; She refused to take anyone else's nonsense and had been the only cat to stand beside me while the rest of RiverClan saw me as a monster.

I was surprised they hadn't bothered to banish me. Maybe they would do it at the next gathering.

"Well I was going to say that for once you weren't being a grump, but I stand corrected," She spat, rolling over onto her stomach.

I did the same, tilting my face up so that it captured the sun's warmth once more.

Our sunbathing was interrupted, however, as I suddenly remembered the footprints that I had seen across the stream.

Shooting to my paws, I sprung off the rocks. I couldn't believe I'd forgotten. The chaos of the past few quarter moons had gotten to me, and I'd forgotten about what was important.

Hunting down the real murderer of my sister.

Otterpaw uttered a curse as we reached the stream. Being the adventurer that she was, she wanted to come along so I let her.

I wasn't surprised that the footprints were gone, though it was still frustrating. I parted my jaws, searching for even the faintest of scents, but there was nothing. I cursed, lashing my tail and stalking around the area, looking for more clues.

Still coming up empty, I huffed, and made my way back to camp. The rain must have washed everything away the night of, otherwise there would have been something. There _must_ have been something.

Someone mewed my name when Otterpaw and I entered camp again. My mentor, Scorchowl, was padding towards me, an irritation alight in his marigold eyes. "Where have you two been? Beaverstrike and I were supposed to take you on Dusk patrol with a few of the other mentors, but they've already left."

I wanted to shrug and walk off, but I stifled the urge and replied calmly, "Sorry. Otterpaw and I were exploring…we weren't told we were supposed to be on patrol."

I must have handled it well, because Scorchowl simply shook his head and said, "You're on Dawn patrol then. Don't sleep late."

 _Or else you'll be cleaning out the elder's den._ The unspoken words were clear. I didn't mind either way.

The days seemed to crawl by. Every day, Otterpaw and I visited the stream and looked for anything-anything at all-to tell me who hurt my sister.

After a while, though-Otterpaw seemed to get annoyed. That alone annoyed _me._ Didn't she care?

As I was sniffing around a cattail bush one dawn, I heard her approach me from behind. She sighed. "Look, Troutpaw…If there were anything to find, we would have found it by now. Don't you think it's time to just accept Ashkit's death?"

Anger flared in my chest, and I rose, turning to face her. "Ashpaw," I hissed, keeping a level voice but not a level head. "She should be Ashpaw right now. And she would be, if she hadn't been murdered- _drowned-_ in the middle of the night. In cold blood."

"I understand that, but-"

"But what? I refuse to accept it. You can walk away, Otterpaw. I don't care what you do. But I'll never stop looking," I snarled in response.

She stared at me, her gaze holding sympathy-yet there was a sense of finality in it. Ears pressed against her head, she did walk away.

I kept searching, but she didn't come with me to the streambed again.

* * *

 _ **Swiftpaw**_

Mothpaw wouldn't leave me be.

Ever since she had been apprenticed, she had always been on my tail-following me while I went on patrol, observing me during combat training, bringing me kills from the pile, telling me stories about nonsensical things. I had enjoyed her company at first, but at this point it was getting to be obnoxious.

I was cleaning my pelt when she bounced over to me. "Hey Swiftpaw," She chirped, "how long do we have until the next gathering?" She lowered her voice. "Not the _actual_ gathering-You know, Smokepaw's gathering."

I scoffed, drawing my tongue across my paw. An identical scoff sounded from behind, and Hazepaw sat himself down beside me. "So it's _Smokepaw's_ gathering now? Since when was this _his_ gathering?"

"Since we appointed him leader?"

Hazepaw snorted again. "No one appointed him leader aside from himself. That's kind of his thing." His voice held a trace of irritation.

"I did notice that," Mothpaw mused, "Doesn't matter now though. No one objected to it, so now we're stuck with it."

She _was_ right. But then I laughed again, drawing my paw behind my ear. "No one objected because he was a bloody, whimpering mess," I mewed.

At " _bloody, whimpering mess,"_ my mind flashed to another gray cat. Older, wiser, just as bloody and messy as Smokepaw had been.

I turned my head, shoving thoughts of father away, squeezing my eyes shut.

"Swiftpaw? Are you okay?" Hazepaw murmured, close enough and quiet enough for Mothpaw not to hear.

I stood, fluffing out my pelt. "Completely fine. Do you want to go train?"

He cast me a long side glance but nodded curtly. "See you later, Mothpaw." His voice was just as curt as his nod had been, and the clear question of "can I come" disappeared from the she-cat's face.

I gave her a small smile then turned away, following Hazepaw up and out of camp, and into a small clearing.

He and I sparred for a bit, though it wasn't much of a challenge for either of us. I was too fast and he was too strong, so our matches typically ended in draws.

I sat back on my haunches, and Hazepaw did the same, giving me a look. A smirk was evident on his face.

"What," I drawled.

"Since you're so fast," He began, "Why don't we try a different kind of training?"

The tips of his ears sparked, and my eyes widened. "Absolutely _not."_

Hazepaw's response was a small burst of light hurled at my tail.

I hissed, springing up from where I was sitting. A throaty chuckle sounded from behind me, and I turned to spit at him. An aura of light appeared around his fur, and my spit evaporated before it could even reach him.

I rolled my eyes, sitting back down again. The ground beneath me was warm, and I blinked in surprise.

"I've been practicing," The tabby purred smugly, puffing out his chest.

"If you're able to warm my nest, too, then practice all you want," I retorted.

Now it was his turn to blink. "W-what?"

My eartips burned. "That's not what I meant-ugh, never mind." Great StarClan, everything had to be misinterpreted, didn't it?

Hazepaw snickered, standing and stretching. As he left the clearing, he flicked my ear with his tail. "Don't tick me off, and we'll see about that nest," He called out, bounding away.

"He's been spending too much time around Smokepaw," I muttered, but then rose myself and followed after him anyways.

* * *

After seeing Smokepaw the night of the Daylight Gathering, my mind had been focused on anything but the present.

I would catch a glimpse of Fallingfeather on patrol and every part of me would lock up. I avoided the medicine cat's den as if it were poison. In fact, any _mention_ of Smokepaw set me on edge.

Since Mothpaw and Hazepaw were the only cats I hung around, I was on edge a lot.

After Haze and I had returned to camp, I decided to spend some time away from the two, and padded into the cave that was the apprentice's den.

I found Cloverpaw, Daisypaw and Coalpaw lounging inside. I didn't blame them; it was far warmer in the den than outside.

Cloverpaw wrinkled her nose when she saw me. "You reek of loser. You were with Hazepaw again, weren't you?"

I didn't have to answer, but I did. "He isn't a loser, Cloverpaw. What's your problem with him?"

Her pale green eyes were full of contempt. "You're right. He isn't a loser-he's a freak. Just like you."

Coalpaw began to object and defend her brother, but Cloverpaw silenced her with a glare. Frustration brimmed in her amber eyes, but she backed down, always being the one to avoid a fight.

Daisypaw was too busy admiring her beautiful white pelt to care.

I took a step closer to Cloverpaw, hackles raised. She rose from her nest and sauntered up to me until we were nose to nose. "We both know you don't belong here, RiverClan scum," she hissed.

Coalpaw's head jerked up with shock. Daisypaw's attention was no longer on her pelt. I flattened my ears, too many gazes on me at once.

Cloverpaw's own gaze was smug.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I lied, shoving the rage that I felt deep, deep down, saving it for later.

Cloverpaw lowered her voice when she whispered, "Maybe you don't…but I'm sure Fallingfeather does."

I snarled, smacking her away with a paw. "So you _do_ know," she laughed, slinking back to her nest, "Just like everyone else. I'm surprised your mother hasn't been banished for her crimes."

I shook my head, turning to leave. Coming here had been a bad idea.

I took a step towards the cave tunnel, but then she purred, "Your father got what he deserved though, didn't he?"

I saw red.

All the anger I'd been withholding let itself free, and I lunged for Cloverpaw, clawing for her cheek but catching the tip of her right ear instead. She shrieked, and her blood dripped down the side of her face.

 _"Two will follow the path of hate,"_ A voice breathed. I blinked in surprise.

Fury blazed in Cloverpaw's eyes, and I laughed, regretting nothing. I would get punished later, for sure, since she hadn't been injured in any form of "training." However, it was completely worth it.

"Don't mock me or my heritage again," I growled.

"I'm sure his death was _swift_ ," Cloverpaw spat.

"I can arrange the same for you," I whispered, tone dangerous, "You wouldn't stand a chance against me."

"What a perk of having mixed blood. You get an unfair advantage," The pale brown she-cat spat.

I parted my jaws to retort, but then Daisypaw snapped, "Stop it, both of you! Swiftpaw's blood doesn't matter. She grew up in WindClan, and she's just as loyal as any of us. Besides," she added, attention turning back to her fur, "The Code is so broken, the Clans are littered with half-bloods."

"That is true," Coalpaw chirped, "Apparently, the best apprentices in ThunderClan have RiverClan blood. It could be a rumor, but haven't you seen some of their fur?"

"And," I mewed, deciding to spill some gossip I picked up from Silverpaw, "some of the ShadowClanners aren't even _from_ Shadowclan. Insane, right? The Code is practically dead when it comes to blood."

We all looked to Cloverpaw, waiting for her to speak. She only muttered "whatever" and left the cave, most likely headed to the medicine cat's den.

I shared a glance with Coalpaw and Daisypaw, before we all burst into laughter. Once we had all calmed down, I breathed, "Thank you."

Coalpaw shrugged. "It's nothing. I wasn't going to let her make fun of my brother and get away with it." Then she frowned. "Is it true though? That your mom is the deputy of RiverClan?"

I sighed. "Do you remember the Blackcough Pandemic?"

"Who doesn't?" Daisypaw piped up.

"Well, to make a long story short, I was born during it. At the time RiverClan was suffering the most from the disease, so as a precaution, Fallingfeather sent me to WindClan with Stonefoot. They came up with some sort of lie to make my sudden appearance believable."

"You don't have any siblings?" Coalpaw asked.

"Not that I know of," I fibbed. My littermates were stillborn.

"That's impressive," Daisypaw murmured, "That Fallingfeather was able to keep your existence a secret."

I shrugged. To me, living with the barn cats had been normal life. Fallingfeather came around once or twice a day to feed me until I didn't need her anymore, and then she showed up once in a blue moon.

Then the barn cats got sick, too. After that, my mother had hardly left my side.

I clenched my jaw. "I think that one being able to give her own kit up with little to no persuasion is impressive, too," I mewed, my voice laden with sarcasm. Fallingfeather had loved me, that much I knew. But once I had crossed that border, she became as dead to me then as Stonefoot was now.

I would never understand why she gave me up to my father so willingly. Yes-I knew it was for my safety. But she hadn't dwelled on it. Hadn't even tried to come up with another soltution. She just...tossed me away. Like I was scum.

 _RiverClan scum._

Coalpaw studied her paws, suddenly uncomfortable.

"It was nice talking to you," I added abruptly, and then left. I knew they would keep their mouths shut.

* * *

Curled up next to Stonefoot's grave, I wept.

* * *

 **Like I said, short. Y'all gotta deal with that. Anyways, I'll reply to any reviews through PMs, and Guests right down here in the second author's note section.**

* * *

 **QOTD: What would you like to see happen in the next few chapters?**

* * *

 **Peace out,**

 **~SK(MW)**


	7. The Border

**So it's been a three? Four? Month wait instead of a year-long one, but enjoy.**

* * *

 _ **Amberpaw**_

I was still a little unnerved about the whole Daylight Gathering thing, and it had almost been a moon. But I supposed Badgerpaw helped.

The first quarter moon after it had been fun. We experimented with our powers, competing against one another to see who could reach an area first, and who could do more extreme...things.

I thought the never-ending statements of I told you so and isn't this cool and my power is better than yours would grow to be irritating by the half-moon mark, but they took the edge off of how serious this could really be.

During the third quarter-moon, however, Fernheart started to become suspicious of how often Badgerpaw and I would disappear to go and play with our skills. Eventually, I noted that she planned to trail us. While the Clan was sharing tongues one day, I pulled Badgerpaw aside.

"I think we should be subtler with our abilities," I hissed, "Fernheart is starting to realize that she wasn't hallucinating that day."

Badgerpaw stared back at me, bright eyes wide. "So, use it the way Bearpaw and Cloudpaw have been? As in, not at all."

I snorted. "No, you mouse-brain. Of course we can still use them. We just shouldn't sneak off to go experiment anymore. She's planning to spy on us."

Now it was Badgerpaw's turn to laugh. "How do you know?"

I raised a brow at him. "Seriously? I hear everything that goes on in this camp now." _Including the many sorry attempts in which you brothers have tried to catch Bearpaw's eye._

I felt enough sympathy for my sister that I was going to ask Jaggedstripe and Embersplash to let us go hunting together around dusk. They were siblings themselves, I bet they would understand.

Badgerpaw nodded. "That makes sense. My bad," He added, grinning, "I'm definitely not as observant as you."

"Obviously," I retorted playfully, "You have this strange habit of running into things."

"Or rather, through," He replied with a wink. "I'm still hungry though. Talk to you later."

I rolled my eyes in exasperation. We had just eaten. He really did have the appetite of a badger.

Sighing, I sat back on my haunches. Today clearly wasn't going to be eventful. Since I had spare time, I decided to go to the nursery.

Poking my head in, I mewed, "Anyone home?"

The five kits that had been tussling let out excited gasps when they saw me. I nodded to Firepool and Leafheart. They tossed me grateful looks. I loved kits, so I didn't mind taking them off their paws for a little while.

Stumpykit, Mosskit, Furzekit, Swallowkit and Elmkit pranced over to me on excited paws. Mudkit and Applekit appeared to be taking naps, so I didn't bother them.

"Hi Amberpaw!" Stumpykit called out. I had to resist the urge to squeal; he was so cute, with his brown spotted nose, bright green eyes and, hence the name, stumpy little tail.

Motioning for the kits to follow me out into camp, I had them line up in front of me. "What have you guys been up to today?"

Furzekit piped up. "We were just wrestling! I pinned Stumpykit and Elmkit down. You should have seen their faces!" His ginger fur fluffed with pride.

"That's quite impressive, Furzekit. But guess what?"

"What?"

"I bet Swallowkit did even better," I purred, winking at her. Her little black ears perked up at that.

Mosskit huffed. She shot Swallowkit a resentful glare, deep brown fur bristling. "You're right, Amberpaw. We wrestled for moons and she beat me every time! I want to know how she did it."

Swallowkit stuck her tongue out at Mosskit, which prompted a growl from the latter, and she pounced. The two of them went rolling in the dirt, and I chuckled.

"All right," I said, whispering to the little toms, "While they're busy, who wants a ride?"

"I do, I do!" They all whispered back excitedly, rocking and bouncing on their paws.

Grinning back at them, I crouched and let them all scramble onto my back. "Hold on tight, okay?"

I couldn't see them, but I felt them nod. All of a sudden, I was grateful for my abilities. It made watching these kits so much easier.

I broke out into a trot, circling and zigzagging throughout the whole camp. They let out excited yowls and calls the whole time. Their laughter made my heart swell.

The she-kits noticed that I was giving their siblings a ride and wanted one too.

"Guys, I can't carry all of you at onc-"

I was cut off with a muffled _oof_ as they all proceeded to tackle me and keep me on the ground.

"Ooh, are we playing the tackle Amberpaw game again? I want to join!" Flamepaw's voice rang out from across camp. My eyes widened as he bounded toward me, just as I had regained my footing, and bowled me over.

I grunted, though I was amused, and kicked my brother off, then tackled him myself. Typically, all the kits joined in too.

"Get a taste of your own medicine, Flamepaw!" Was what Stumpykit yowled as he launched himself at Flamepaw's side.

"Oh no, I've been hit!" He gasped, faking death. The kits laughed, prodding at his face.

"We know you're not really dead, Flamepaw," Elmkit mewed matter-of-factly.

"Maybe not," Flamepaw said quietly, opening one eye, "But you're gonna be if you don't run!" He howled, lunging up and chasing them around the camp. I joined in, scooping up Mosskit and letting her "assist" me as I chased her sibling and cousins.

I grinned as I watched my brother. He didn't know it, and I would never tell him because it would go to his head; he would be a great father. I snickered at the thought of his own kits knocking him over one day.

I wondered what it would be like...having my own kits. But it was a thought for another day. Right now, I would live in the moment. "Hey Mosskit," I whispered, "Go tackle your brother, and see what happens."

She giggled, sliding off of my back, and snuck up on Stumpykit, bowling him over. I smiled when she tussled with him, and pinned him down.

 _Knew it._

* * *

I gasped with delight. "Thanks, Jaggedstripe! I'll go fetch her."

He had agreed to let me go hunting with Bearpaw, as long as he came along to correct anything we might've been doing wrong. I didn't mind. I was just glad to help her get away from everything for a while.

Searching the camp, I found her in the apprentice's den taking a nap. I snorted. Typical of her.

"Wake up," I hissed, prodding her shoulder, "We're going hunting."

She rolled over, murmuring a protest. Something about the dawn patrol.

I poked her again. "No, smarts, Jaggedstripe's taking us hunting. Just the two of us, so you can get away from Thornpaw for a while."

Bearpaw lifted her head at that, blinking sleep out of her sky-blue eyes. "Sleep was my escape," She muttered, but stretched and exited the den with me anyways.

I stifled both my disgust and amusement when I noticed Thornpaw freeze from where he was practicing battle stances with Badgerpaw across the camp. Jaggedstripe was impatiently pacing by the camp entrance.

"Quick," I mewed, "Let's go, before he changes his mind."

She muttered something under her breath again, and I smirked. Bearpaw was always grumpy after she woke up. She'd get over it.

Jaggesdstripe gave us the run of the forest, trailing far enough behind that he was out of earshot. I shivered through the chill; part of the reason I wanted to go hunting was to talk with Bearpaw as well. It was more likely than actually catching anything in this weather. I envied my sister and her thicker pelt.

"So," I started, "How's your training going?"

Bearpaw hummed. "Pretty well, actually. Embersplash says I've finally mastered tree-climbing—in daylight, at least. He's going to start taking me at night so I can truly get the hang of it."

"That's really great," I replied. "I think I've memorized most of the trails Ferheart's given my group. Here, I'll show you one."

I brought her up to the old twoleg campground using said trail. I figured that if we were "out hunting" we might as well attempt to.

I didn't even need to part my jaws to scent the pair of squirrels sleeping in this green twoleg...thing. It was tall and sturdy, with an opening at the top. There were a few others scattered about. I barely caught the faint whiff of carrion that clung to it.

"Bearpaw, do you smell that?" I asked, angling my head towards the object.

She nodded. "How about you scare them, and I'll catch them as they come out?"

It seemed like a solid plan. Slinking up to the thing, I rose up on my hindquarters and braced it with my paws. I yowled loudly, and there was frightened chittering from inside.

Wondering if I could push the thing over, I turned and kicked it with my back paws. It fell, and the squirrels came tumbling out. Bearpaw was impossibly quick; she snatched one up and killed it. The other one made a mad dash for the forest, racing up a tree.

I spat out a curse, but Bearpaw was already on it, scrambling up the tree and tracking the squirrel. I went to follow her, but Jaggedstripe stopped me.

"Wait on the ground, in case she frightens it out of the tree. Then you can catch it when it comes down," He instructed, flicking his tail over my back.

I inwardly groaned. How had I not thought of that? I shot a grateful smile at my mentor, and he nodded back, the already dead squirrel now in his jaws.

I trailed the squirrel from below; I couldn't predict its path, but it was impossible for me to lose the scent. We were nearing ThunderClan territory when Bearpaw tried to pounce at it, and it scrambled down from the tree like Jaggedstripe predicted.

I dashed after it, and was just at its tail when I realized it had crossed the border. "Fox dung," I spat. It raced right into the open claws of a ThunderClan apprentice.

Bramblepaw smirked up at me. The only reason I knew him was from the Daylight Gathering—he was on my team.

"Thanks for the easy kill," He drawled. His sea green eyes shone with mockery, and I narrowed my own. Easy to kill, perhaps, but not easy to catch for the ones that actually tracked it.

"If there had been no border, I would have gladly shoved past you to kill it myself," I growled.

"Too bad there's a border then, huh?" He replied smoothly. The teasing smile he wore only frustrated me further.

It had been right in front of me. But I couldn't break the rules. I wanted to curse again, so I did.

Bramblepaw laughed at me. "That's quite a mouth you've got," he mused, "Too bad it won't be eating this."

He launched the squirrel up and caught it on a claw by its tail. My nostrils flared. Arrogant, stuck up, piece of badger dung Thunderclan scum.

"Bramblepaw," a voice called out, "Don't torture the poor kitten any more than you need to. You've already made her fuss quite enough, and we don't want her crying for Mama, do we?"

Sootpaw, who I recognized from the Daylight gathering as well, slunk out from wherever he had been hiding in the shadows. A smug expression was written on his face. I growled at him.

Bearpaw came up behind me and rested her tail on my back. "Just let it go, sis."

I gritted my teeth. I knew Jaggedstripe was observing with amusement from a tree a few fox-lengths behind. Not only was I humiliated, but I was angry. Livid.

I spat in Bramblepaw's face. He blinked, but shook it off.

Grinning at me, he responded, "You're right, Soot. We don't." He tossed me the squirrel. I let it fall at my paws, and looking down at it, I was baffled.

I parted my jaws to ask him why, but when I raised my head to speak, the two toms were gone.

* * *

 _ **Silverpaw**_

I looked up when I heard my brother and Bramblepaw stroll into camp, their jaws laden with prey. They dropped it on the 'kill pile, and many of the warriors made a beeline towards it.

I didn't. After seeing Smokeclaw's paw, I had lost my appetite.

The two previously mentioned toms decided it would be best to flop on either side of me, laughing and gasping for breath. The sun was setting soon, what in the name of StarClan could have been so exciting?

"Silverpaw," Sootpaw mewed, still cackling, "You should have seen her face. You would have _lost_ it."

Bramblepaw rolled over, His laughter now silent but just as irritating as my brother's. "She was so _pissed_. It was great. We've gotta do that again," he snickered.

I examined one of my claws. It still had blood beneath it from when I clawed Bumblepaw's rump during training. Disgusting. "Might I ask who this 'she' is?"

"Amberpaw from ShadowClan," Bramble responded. "She's small, black and white, has these really bold ey-"

"I know what she looks like, thanks," I snapped. "And what did you two do to her?"

Sootpaw let out a wheezing laugh. I rolled my eyes. My brother was a sadist; whatever they had done probably wasn't even that amusing, but he liked making others mad for the fun of it.

"Okay, so she was chasing this squirrel on her side of the border," He began, "And she was like, just about to kill it when she chased it over the border. She's a goody-goody, so once it crossed she gave up and it just ran right into Bramble's paws."

"And I said 'thanks for the easy kill,' and she started cursing at me. Then Sootpaw just comes out of nowhere and calls her a kitten and—oh, it was great. She got so mad she spat in my face; I bet my nose is still wet. I gave her the squirrel and we hid behind some trees and she got so confused. Just-her expression was priceless," Bramblepaw snickered.

I narrowed my eyes at them. "So... you two robbed her of her kill, then played with it and her feelings. This is funny...how? I don't see it."

They stared back at me, blank faced, until Sootpaw rolled his eyes. "Wow Silvy, you really are sensitive. The two of you would probably get along well."

I scoffed, depriving myself of their presence by standing up and strolling away. My plan was to head to the apprentice's den, but Rainpaw stopped me.

"Want some of this vole?" He asked. I still hadn't regained my appetite and tried to decline, but he blocked my path. "You haven't eaten since sunhigh," He hissed, "Take it."

Begrudgingly, I sat and suffered through the vole. I knew Rainpaw was right, but hated to admit it.

Concerning the loss of my appetite...Smokepaw's wound was healing, but it didn't make it any less nauseating to look at. The cat that had injured him had made the scratches deep. They criss-crossed until they reached just above his dewclaw, then stopped abruptly.

My lip had curled when I had seen it; I didn't understand how someone could want to intentionally inflict so much pain on one cat. But that wasn't what bothered me.

I could _feel_ it. As long as Smokepaw was close to me, every step he took seemed to resonate in my own paw. The chafing of the leaf dressing against his wound was as clear as day, as if I had gotten the same injury myself.

It was odd. I didn't feel the pain of other cats; only Smokepaw. I figured that it was for a reason and put it aside, avoiding my cousin as well. I couldn't stand the agony he was in-and I meant that in every way.

"Silvy, are you good?" Rainpaw asked. I blinked, leaving my trance. I realized I had stopped chewing and had been staring slack-jawed at the ground as I thought.

Rainpaw had kept a close eye on me ever since my mist incident, but I didn't tell him about the Daylight gathering. He was prone to worry, and it would just be another thing to poke at his anxiety. So I let it be, for now.

"Yeah, I'm ok," I responded sheepishly. "Just a little tired. I thought I had dawn patrol so I got up early, but it turns out I'm on dusk." I shot the thorn tunnel a glare. It was starting to get colder, and I really didn't want to go out.

Rainpaw chuckled. "Have fun with that. I had sunhigh patrol, so I'm on dusk tomorrow. I'm not looking forward to it." As if reading my thoughts, he fluffed out his pelt.

I added, "I wonder what leaf-bare is like if it's only a bit chilly now. Honestly, I don't want to know."

He shuddered, but gave me a soft smile. "Me either. But thank StarClan for our thick pelts, huh?"

I returned the smile before rising to stretch. "Welp, now that I've eaten, I should get going. It is dusk, after all."

"See ya, Silverpaw."

I flicked my tail in his face, causing him to sneeze. Laughing, I went to find my mentor.

It turned out she was in the Warriors' Den; Blizzardpelt trotted out with Birchbranch, her mate. Nuzzling him a quick goodbye, she motioned for me to meet her at the tunnel with the rest of the patrol.

"Today is just not my day," I muttered as I beheld the patrol.

Bumblepaw, Dawnpaw, and their mentors Riftclaw and Sandclaw were waiting for us at the tunnel.

Bumblepaw...well.

Dawnpaw was a snob-she acted as if everything was entitled to her because her father was deputy. She was manipulative, and prone to bursts of uncontrolled anger. She and my brother did _not_ get along well. He was quite fond of leaving mutilated, horrific things for her to find.

I didn't reprimand him for it. If I had been Sootpaw, I probably would have done the same.

Her mentor, Sandclaw, was strict. He wasn't the kind of strict, however, that struck fear; he was overbearing and repetitively obnoxious about rules and orders to the point where no one took him seriously. Unluckily for the apprentices, it just made him crack down on us harder.

Riftclaw was the only member of the patrol aside from my own mentor that I didn't mind. I mean, it wouldn't be right to mind him- he was Sootclaw and I's foster father. After my mother died, he and Cinderfur took us in. What helped was that he was family either way; my mom's nephew. He and Blizzardpelt were siblings.

To state the simple truth, a good majority of Thunderclan was my family. And I meant that quite literally; My uncle Canyonfall's offspring was many. He was hardly a senior warrior, and he already had grandkits. Technically, I was both his grandkit and his niece. Things were complicated.

Riftclaw flicked his tail over my back when I joined the patrol. "Hey, you. What have you been up to all day?"

I shrugged. "Nothing much. I had battle training around midmorning. After that...well, I've been stuck in camp all day."

"Quite an uneventful day for you, then," He hummed.  
"Well, actually, I got a look at Smokepaw's paw. He busted it up pretty bad." That was one way to put it.

Riftclaw shook his head, but his dark blue eyes-a trait he shared with both his father and blood son- gleamed with affection. "That nephew of mine...He reminds me of myself when I was an apprentice. Always getting into some sort of trouble."

 _If only you knew._

Sandclaw cleared his throat. "Now that everyone's here, let's get going." He didn't wait for acknowledgement-instead he nudged Dawnpaw and the two walked right through the thorn tunnel.

Rolling her eyes, Blizzardpelt followed, and I trailed after her.

By the time we reached the WindClan border, the sun's rays were officially disappearing from the sky. It cast a glow over the moor that I found strikingly beautiful. It made me wonder what the lake looked like to others farther away.

The shadows of a passing WindClan patrol cast themselves over the stream. I caught the eyes of Swiftpaw and Hazepaw, as well as a younger apprentice who I recognized as Daisypaw. But before I could mew a greeting, I felt a sharp pang in my chest.

Confused, I searched for the source of the pain. Upon finding none, I looked to the cats around me. The WindClan apprentices appeared normal. Hazepaw and Daisypaw's mentors seemed unperturbed as they engaged in casual conversation with Sandclaw.

Swift's mentor Gorgefall, however, had an absent expression on his face. His pale green eyes darted to Blizzardpelt and then away. He felt...wistful. Regretful, but not bitter.

I gasped quietly, excited but also mildly disturbed that I could sense that from him. I wondered what had happened with he and my mentor in the past for him to feel that way.

Swiftpaw was the one that mewed hello. Hazepaw seemed distracted though, his gaze far away. Both of them appeared stronger and more confident. I was glad I got to see them both for a few moments.

After marking the border, we headed to the ShadowClan one. Upon reaching it, Dawnpaw wrinkled her nose. It was one of her pastimes to make a show of how "disgusting" the other Clans were. She muttered as much while we freshened the border.

She didn't shut her jaws, and I grew fed up. "Would you give it a rest? I'm sure ShadowClan thinks just the same of you," I snapped.

Dawnpaw whipped her head around. "Excuse you?"

I hissed. "The only difference between you and them is that they can scent your pettiness from fox-lengths away. You only have to bear it for a few moments-imagine how _they_ must feel."

Her eyes widened with offense. "Did you just call me petty?" She spat.

I stared her down smugly. "Did I stutter?"

She growled. I expected her to lunge at me or at least cuff me over the ears, but save for said growl, she remained silent in both action and speech.

Sandclaw eyed us with a low growl. "Cut it out, you two. Settle your differences in battle training tomorrow."

I wanted to point out how I was oh-so-conveniently paired with Bumblepaw for the time being, but I bit my tongue, stifling my irritation. It had been nearly three moons since I had been apprenticed; they really should have changed the pairings by now. It was beginning to get tedious.

I wasn't in any place to say anything about it, though. So I didn't. One of these days I was worried I would snap.

The trudge back to camp was miserable. Sandclaw kept a close eye on Bumblepaw, Dawnpaw, and I; if he so much as noticed a hostile glance, he'd spit a warning. Blizzardpelt and Riftclaw were clearly growing exasperated.

I did my best not to focus on it. I let my thoughts wander to my ability instead.

I could feel Smokepaw's pain, but only when we were close. The only other pain I had sensed was Swiftpaw's mentor's; I was only growing more confused. I couldn't figure out what triggered it.

Sighing heavily, I decided to ask Sootpaw about how he controlled his own ability. Talking to him would either help, or bring me more frustration.

My pace increased when I spotted the thorn tunnel up ahead. Our mentors, figuring that it would be safe to let us get there on our own, went ahead and entered camp without so much as a goodbye. I was about to slip through the tunnel myself when I was bodyslammed.

I rolled over, lifting my head in just enough time to duck again as Dawnpaw swiped at my face.

"What's your problem?" I spat.

She hissed back while I stood. "You shouldn't have called me petty."

I rolled my eyes and sidestepped as she attempted another blow. "You do realize that this is only proving my point, right?"

Dawnpaw snarled, which only made me angry. I spit back and lunged at her, knocking her over. We rolled in the dirt as I tried to pin her down.

She managed to nick my ear with her claw, but it made it easy for me to catch her off guard. I slammed her down with a growl.

"Try that again and see how it turns out," I threatened. Dawnpaw struggled against my paws, so I pressed down harder.

" _Silverpaw. Dawnpaw._ What's the meaning of this?"

I cringed and scrambled off of Dawnpaw as quickly as I could. I turned to see Brackenstar standing outside of the thorn tunnel, eyes narrowed and an irritated look on his face. I bowed my head.

"Both of you. My den. _Now_ ," He spat.

I obliged, entering camp. I could feel my clanmates' eyes on me as I climbed up the rocks that led to the small cave. Some eyes were questioning. Some were amused. It didn't matter—I was being watched, and for once in my life I hated it.

Dawnpaw had the audacity to step on my tail as I was pulling myself onto the ledge. I nearly snapped at her, but knew I was already in enough trouble.

I had never been in the Leader's Den before. It was fairly dark, but there was enough light for me to make out a nest and a small pile of bones in one corner. The rest of the cave was empty space.

Brackenstar took his time on his way up, which only added to my growing embarassment and mild terror. Our leader had been around for a good while. I didn't doubt that his experience as a leader had enabled him to come up with some creative punishments.

Once he entered the den, he sat across from us at the mouth of the cave. I gulped, growing anxious. I knew Smokepaw had gotten sent to Brackenstar before, and he came back furious but also subdued. My hope was that whatever Brackenstar decided didn't wound my pride.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Brackenstar asked, tone unreadable. I opened my jaws to speak, but he held up a paw. "The question was directed at Dawnpaw. Have patience."

My eyes narrowed at the fact that Dawnpaw got to talk first. She would most likely twist the story to antagonize me. It would make me look like a liar when it was my turn.

Brackenstar's bright blue eyes gleamed with disinterest, but he was allowing us to explain ourselves anyways. It baffled me.

"Well, Brackenstar, she called me petty for no reason," Dawnpaw began. As I suspected, she was already manipulating what happened. "It upset me, so I went to talk to her and tell her how I felt before we got into camp. But then she attacked me! I didn't do anything wrong-"

Brackenstar held up a white paw once more. "Enough," he muttered. "Silverpaw?"

I huffed. "I'd like to start by saying Dawnpaw is a liar-"

He cut me off. "Try again."

Frustration was starting to build up in my chest, and I spoke slowly.

"We were at the ShadowClan border and she was making a fuss about how horrible they smelled, so yes, I called her petty, because it's true. But then I was minding my own buisiness on the walk back to camp when she tackled me outside of the thorn tunnel—which proved my point. Of course, I'm better than her, so it only took me a few moments to pin her down, and that's when you told us to come to your den."

I bothered to shoot her a glance. Perhaps I was an idiot since Brackenstar was telling me to shut my mouth, but I hissed, "You are a lying, petty, insolent piece of badger-brained scum. And you deserve whatever punishment-"

"I said silence, Silverpaw!" Brackenstar snarled, standing and stomping a paw onto the cool stone.

My ears burned, but I settled back with a smug smile and felt no shame. In a way, I was just as flawed as my brother.

Brackenstar's tail lashed as he faced us. "At this point, I no longer care who started what, nor do I care about who's innocent—because neither of you are. You were involved in a scuffle outside of battle training, and as far as I'm concerned, that's more than enough reason to punish you." His eyes were ablaze with fury as he turned to me.

"As for you, Silverpaw; You've shown utter disrespect not only now, but countless times. You seem to forget that you're only seven moons old. Know that to me, you're still a kit. And this behavior only proves it."

A pit of dread grew in my stomach. I had an idea of where this was going, and I didn't like it. I didn't like it at all.

"If you're going to act like a kit," He started, "You'll be treated like one."

 _No. Oh no, no, no._

"You're not to leave camp for a half-moon, Silverpaw. Dawnpaw, a quarter moon. No gatherings, no training, no patrols. The only exception to your punishment is that you'll be allowed to leave to make dirt, with an escort."

Dawnpaw let out an infuriated huff, but said nothing. I was too stunned to react.

Horror replaced the dread I was feeling. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be.

"You're dismissed, Dawnpaw. Silverpaw, stay a moment." Brackenstar's eyes watched Dawnpaw until she was at the base of the cliff, back in the main area of camp. Then they were on me.

"If I catch you sneaking out of camp at night, I'll double the time. If I catch you attempting to communicate with the WindClan apprentices, I'll double the time. If in any way you step outside camp for any reason aside from making dirt, _I'll double the time._ And don't think I won't know."

My jaw dropped. How did he know about Hazepaw and Swiftpaw? I had to tell Smokepaw. Who knew what else Brackenstar had been watching us for?

I found myself wishing for a bit of amusement or even smugness in my Leader's eyes, but there was only a stern look. "I hope we're on the same page now."

 _Apparently not, if you see me as a kit_ , I wanted to mutter, but I gritted my teeth. Anger burned deep within my chest. I nodded, meeting his eyes. I wanted him to see how infuriated I was. Perhaps even feel it.

But I was Silverpaw, not Sootpaw. I wasn't a sadist and I couldn't make others feel pain. I could only sense, heal, and get suffocated in black mist. I absolutely loved my life.

"You're dismissed."

I rose without sparing Brackenstar a glance and stormed down the rocks. My ears were flattened to my head, and I didn't feel like socializing with anyone at the moment. I found my nest in the Apprentices' Den and resisted the urge to bite my tail and screech into it.

"Silvy."

I groaned, buried my face in my paws, and told Rainpaw to go away.

"Tough luck," he responded. Rainpaw sat next to me, curling his tail around his paws. Leaning over, he nudged my face with his muzzle. "Snap out of it. Dawnpaw is going around camp telling everyone what happened. She sounds more ridiculous than she usually does."

If I was in the mood, I might have laughed bitterly. But I wasn't. I could practically hear Rainpaw's frown at my lack of response.

"Alright," He sighed. "Be that way. It only shows how naïve you're being, and why you're being punished."

He had hoped to provoke at least a growl from me I supposed, but he wasn't going to get one. I'd give him something else instead.

"Rainpaw," I murmured, "If that mist...if I can't get away from it..." The terror that crept up on me from even thinking about it was suffocating. So much could go wrong because of this punishment.

"Silverpaw," He mewed, tapping me with a paw. "Hey. _Silvy._ "

I opened my eyes and was startled to see him at my eye-level, only a few mouse-lengths from my nose.

"What?"

"You're gonna be okay. Don't worry about it, alright?"

Now I laughed, though it wasn't genuine. "And how do you know that?" I asked, not really expecting a serious response.

"I'm not going to let anyone find out. I'd say I won't let anything happen to you at all, but...we don't even know what the mist is. The least I can do is protect you from others."

I blinked. A serious response is precisely what I got.

"Thank you," I mewed, a small smile forming. I was still angry, but that helped.

"You're welcome, Silverpaw," Rainpaw purred. "You should already know that you can always count on me."

I did. Shrugging, I let my smile grow bigger. "Maybe this next half-moon will suck, but at least I don't have to go on any patrols."

"True," He chuckled back.

Both of our heads turned as the rest of the apprentices came streaming into the den. It was already pitch black outside, and most of them were turning in for the night. As if on cue, Rainpaw yawned.

"Well," He murmured, retreating to his own nest on the other side of the den. "Sleep tight, Silvy. Goodnight."

 _Goodnight_ , I thought, but didn't reply. I laid down my head. With no dawn patrol to be on, I'd be able to sleep a long, long time.

I planned to savor it.

* * *

 **We got some sisterly bonding, some Clan , and Silverpaw is punished- Brackenstar's hope being that it will tame her pride a bit. Let's see how that works out and how it affects things, shall we? ;3**

* * *

 **QOTD: Do you think Silverpaw's punishment was fair? Why or why not?**

* * *

 **Peace Out,**

 **~SK(MW)**


End file.
